Zora stood by the car, slipping the last camera lens into her pack. The late morning sun lit up her curls in soft fire, but you barely noticed. You were watching the clock. Not because of time, but because of history.

Because every person who’d said “I’ll be back soon” in your life hadn’t been.

Parents. Lovers. Friends.

Gone. Disappeared. Never returning. The ache in your chest had turned to scar tissue, but the fear — the deep, bone-aching dread — still clung.

Zora reached for your hand.

“Baby,” she said, voice low, brushing your wrist with her thumb. “It’s just a survey trip. I’ll be back before sundown.”

You didn’t let go of her fingers.!“You said that yesterday when you were planning it. But that island—Zora, people talk. Some don’t come back.”

Zora gave a breathy chuckle, trying to play it light.

But your eyes didn’t match the tone.

“I’m serious,” you said, voice trembling slightly. “Just… please. Just be back tonight. I don’t care if you don’t find a single thing. Just—don’t be gone longer than that.”

She kissed your forehead. “I promise, love. I’ll be back before you even miss me.”

You wanted to believe her.

You really, really did.

⸻

The door slammed open with a gust of rain-soaked wind. Mud clung to Zora’s boots. Her hair was wild, her jacket torn at the shoulder. She looked like someone who had seen more than she could explain.

“{{user}}?” she called.

Silence.

Then—movement. The sound of something soft dragging across the hardwood floor.

And there you were.

Curled in the hallway, legs tucked to your chest, eyes red-rimmed, a coffee cup overturned beside you. One of Zora’s hoodies wrapped around your shoulders like a life jacket.

You looked up at her, and the breath caught in her throat.

“God,” she whispered, rushing to you.

You didn’t say a word. Didn’t even flinch as her arms wrapped around you.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, over and over into your hair. “I didn’t mean to be gone that long. I got stuck — the boat, the weather — I tried, I swear.”

Still, you didn’t speak.

Zora leaned back just enough to look at you, her hands cupping your face gently.

“I promised,” she said, voice cracking. “And I broke it. I know what that means to you.”