When Lauren saw the image of Alex, all she felt was immense shock.
The man projected in the hologram was older and more mature—his golden-yellow hair slightly longer, his frame sharper and more defined. But despite the changes, she knew. She would always know.
How could she forget the only person who had ever made her heart move?
But as she looked more at the image.
His golden pupils, once so vibrant and playful, now looked hollow. Cold. Emotionless.
Lauren stared at the projection, her fingers subtly curling into the fabric of her dress as a pang of something sharp—guilt, maybe even pain—twisted in her chest.
The Alex she remembered always had a playful glint in his eyes, even in the most serious situations. He had a way of making the world seem less heavy.
But this man on the screen… looked like someone who had lost everything.
And she knew what he lost.
Her heart tightened.
The memories surfaced—unbidden, unwanted.
It was the last time she saw him.
