Chapter 31
Nina stared at her arms glowing faintly under the summer sun, soft and smooth like catching light.
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This body–Hayden’s body–was healthy. It didn’t ache under sunlight. It didn’t recoil from chemo.
It didn’t throw up after a bite of cake or a sip of wine. It didn’t break at the first sign of wind or rain.
It was everything she once dreamed of when she was sick.
But…
She exhaled. A slow, steady breath. Then smiled.
“But I came back for a reason,” she said. “To see him. Just once.”
Her past life had been full. Loving parents. A decent family. A boyfriend who would die for her. A romance that burned bright, even if it ended in pain.
She had no regrets. Not really.
What she wanted was one last moment. The closure she’d never had.
So she walked. Back into the gallery.
The ticking of the grand clock echoed off the white walls.
Julian stood by the sapphire ring display. Alone. His posture was stiff. His shoulders heavy.
She stopped a few feet behind him and heard him speak, his voice hoarse.
“If I say it out loud, if I recognize it’s you… will you vanish again? Like in the hospital–three years ago. I knew it was you. And then you were gone.”
Nina’s eyes stung.
She stepped closer. “Yeah… I will disappear. So… won’t you at least look at me before I go?”
Julian’s body tensed.
And just like she used to, she slipped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her cheek against his back. His heartbeat pulsed steadily under her ear, deep and aching.
She whispered, “We lost so much time, Julian. Don’t you want to look at me? One last time?”
Outside, the summer heat soaked the air. A soft breeze brushed her hair.
Chapter 31
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He didn’t move.
Then suddenly he turned. And pulled her into his arms.
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She clung to him, her throat tightening, eyes wet. “Don’t wait for me anymore, okay? Don’t look for me. No more deathbed goodbyes. I’m not coming back.”
“I can’t,” he said, voice shaking.
She opened her mouth to say more–but his lips were already on hers.
Warm. Desperate.
The gallery fell into silence.
Her hands pushed at his chest. She wanted to say something. Anything.
But…
In that hush, in that kiss, in that ache–they said it all.
She closed her eyes. Let herself melt into him.
She knew she was supposed to fade. To vanish.
The clock ticked louder, louder-
Then: Ding.
Ten o’clock.
Goodbye, Julian, she said silently.
She waited to disappear.
One second. Two seconds. Ten.
Nothing happened.
The kiss still lingered on her lips. His arms still wrapped tight around her.
She opened her eyes–Julian was/staring at her, just as stunned.
She stepped back slightly, heart pounding.
Then remembered something Lysander once said-
–
To stay in this world, you need a strong enough desire.
Chapter 31
Maybe that was it.
She hadn’t just wanted to see Julian once.
She’d wanted to see him again, and again.
Every second.
Wish after wish, stacking like code.
Glitching the system.
She might’ve just hacked the afterlife.
Nina blinked, somewhere between tears and laughter.
Julian’s voice was low and trembling. “Will you… still leave?”
She looked at him, chest tight.
Then lifted her head and kissed him softly.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
And if her wish could really come true,
then let her stay by his side-
Forever.
