elest of circumstances, leaving Alexander alone to grieve. He had tried to move on, to rebuild his life from

oid seemed a li

ng had c

the way h

eyes darting around the sterile, cold room. Her hair, a dark cascade of waves, clung to her

re him wasn't the same. The fire in Elena's eyes, the sharp wit and intelligence that had

rolled, but beneath it, there was a tremor of somet

as she glanced at him. "I... I don't kno

ch to his chest. This cou

s Eva. But her name meant little to him. All he could see was the

ed, his voice cracking despite

as shaky, her confusion mirror

was a part of him that wanted to believe, to grasp onto this fleeting hope like a dr

sion lay beyond the sterile walls. "I don't remember anything. All I know is that...

name?" Alexander's voice was sha

, shaking her hea

everything and the stranger standing before him, who wore her face but had none of her spirit

out you, or me, or... any of it. I don't even know who I am." Her voice brok

man before him was a stranger in every sense, yet something about her tugge

ou," Alexander murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

eatures. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to h

voice cracked, revealing the agony

w is that I was found. And they told me y

off the rush of emotion threatening to consume him. This wasn't supposed

ruth spilling out before he could stop it. "I don'

he regretted them. Eva's expression crum

ealized something he had

, part of him still hoped - still wanted her. Even if

e thick with something he couldn't quite d

s as she wiped them away. "I want to

situation seemed to settle bet