The door to the office swung open. I could hear it, even though my mind was still drowning in what I had just learned.
The hologram was gone.
Just like always.
"Thank God…"
Lucian's voice reached me first, rushed and unsteady as his footsteps closed the distance.
"Tell me… this is really you, right?" His hands cupped my face, warm and careful, his eyes searching mine like he was afraid I would disappear again if he blinked.
I opened my mouth to answer but nothing came out.
Instead, a sharp ache climbed into my chest, tight and suffocating, pressing against my ribs until it hurt to breathe.
My eyes burned.
Not with tears.
With everything I couldn't release.
Lucian didn't wait for an answer.
He pulled me against him, holding me tightly, one arm wrapped protectively around my back like he was afraid the world might steal me from him again.
"Hey…" he murmured against my hair. "It's okay. You're here. You're safe."
Safe.
The word felt wrong in my body.
