Shyra glanced back briefly, eyes flicking over the figures behind them, then forward again.
But she felt Rhea's arm tighten around Amaya unconsciously.
"Ninna?" Amaya murmured, sensing the tension.
Rhea leaned down and pressed her lips to Amaya's hair, eyes burning. "I'm here," she whispered. "I'm here."
Rhea stepped outside into the night air, chest heaving once before she forced it calm.
She never looked back.
She didn't need to.
The damage was already done.
Because hallucinations didn't leave echoes like that.
And Ling Kwong's voice—
It had always been real enough to ruin her.
The parking area was open, wide, washed in white lights and night wind.
Shyra walked ahead, pressing the key fob. The car blinked in response. Amaya squirmed in Rhea's arms, distracted by the lights, the movement, the unfamiliar space.
"Careful," Shyra said lightly. "She's excited."
"I've got her," Rhea replied, voice steady out of habit.
She didn't feel steady.
Her body still hadn't recovered from the voice. From the certainty of it. She told herself again—breathe, walk, don't think—the way she had learned to do with pain.
Then it happened.
Amaya's grip loosened.
The small stuffed toy slipped from her fingers, bounced once against Rhea's arm, then fell to the ground.
"Oh—" Rhea reacted instantly, bending slightly.
But the wind caught it.
Not strong. Not dramatic.
Just enough.
The toy rolled across the smooth concrete, light and careless, carried toward the darker end of the parking lot.
"Amaya, no—" Shyra started.
"Ninna," Amaya said softly, confused.
"I'll get it," Rhea said quickly.
She stepped away before Shyra could stop her.
The toy came to rest near a black car.
A car she recognized before her mind allowed it.
Her steps slowed.
Her chest tightened.
She reached down, fingers brushing the fabric—
—and then she saw the reflection first.
Tall. Straight posture. Stillness that commanded space without effort.
Rhea froze.
Slowly—too slowly—she lifted her eyes.
Ling stood there.
Not imagined. Not remembered.
Real.
Black coat. Dark hair pulled back. Glasses catching the light. Hands in her pockets like the world belonged there.
Beside her stood Rina, mid-sentence, unaware.
Rhea's breath left her body in one sharp, soundless pull.
Her knees weakened.
Her vision blurred instantly as tears welled without permission, hot and humiliating. Her eyes widened, refusing to blink, as if blinking would make Ling disappear.
She didn't.
Ling was exactly as she had left her—
and not at all.
Sharper. Colder. Bigger somehow.
Alive.
Rhea's fingers clenched around the toy so hard the stitching bit into her skin.
No, her mind screamed.
Not like this. Not here.
Her heart pounded violently, each beat echoing Ling's name against her ribs.
Rina laughed at something, voice distant.
Ling stood half-turned away.
Rhea had seconds.
She straightened abruptly, back stiff, shoulders locking into place by instinct. Months of control snapped into position like armor.
As Ling began to turn her head—just slightly, as if sensing something—
Rhea turned her back.
Fast.
Decisive.
Like pulling away from fire before it burned too deep.
Her tears fell freely now, sliding down her cheeks, unchecked, as she walked back with rigid steps. She didn't wipe them. She didn't slow.
Her body moved on muscle memory alone.
"Ninna?" Amaya murmured, sensing it instantly.
Rhea hugged her tighter, pressing Amaya's head into her shoulder to hide her face. "It's okay," she whispered, voice breaking despite her effort. "I've got you."
Shyra turned as Rhea approached. "You took long—" She stopped. "Rhea? What happened?"
Rhea shook her head once. "Let's go," she said hoarsely. "Please."
Shyra followed her gaze briefly—saw nothing meaningful, only strangers near cars—but she saw Rhea's face.
The tears.
The way her hands shook.
She didn't ask again.
She opened the car door. "Get in."
Rhea climbed in, heart still slamming, lungs burning like she'd been running.
Behind her, Ling paused.
Something had shifted in the air.
She frowned slightly, eyes narrowing, gaze sweeping the parking lot without knowing why.
Rina followed her line of sight. "What?"
"Nothing," Ling said after a moment.
She turned away.
The engine started.
The car pulled out.
Rhea didn't look back.
She pressed her face into Amaya's hair, breathing her in like oxygen, tears soaking silently into the fabric of her clothes.
Her hands trembled.
Her world had cracked open again—
and she had survived it by turning away.
This time.
Barely.
"Rhea," Shyra said gently, keeping her voice calm. "Hey. Breathe."
Rhea didn't answer.
She pressed her face into Amaya's neck, inhaling shakily, as if afraid the moment she lifted her head she would fall apart completely.
"Ninna?" Amaya murmured again, confused now, small hand patting Rhea's shoulder.
"I'm here," Rhea whispered, voice cracked beyond repair. "I'm here, baby."
Shyra slowed at the exit, then pulled the car to the side, hazards blinking softly.
She turned fully toward them. "Okay. Stop. Look at me."
Rhea shook her head violently.
"Rhea," Shyra repeated, firmer now. "What happened? You scared me."
Rhea's breath came uneven, chest rising and falling too fast. She tried to speak and failed, lips trembling.
Shyra reached out carefully, resting a hand on Rhea's arm. "You're safe. Amaya's safe. Just tell me."
For a few seconds, only Rhea's quiet sobs filled the car.
Then, broken and small, the words slipped out.
"She was there."
Shyra stilled. "Who?"
Rhea swallowed hard, eyes squeezed shut as if saying the name would summon her again. "Ling."
The name fell heavy between them.
Shyra's hand tightened instinctively on the steering wheel. "Ling… Kwong?"
Rhea nodded, a sharp, jerking movement. "I saw her. In the parking lot."
Shyra searched her face carefully. "Are you sure?"
Rhea let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh, but it shattered halfway. "I heard her voice inside. Then outside. And then—" She broke again, clutching Amaya tighter. "She was standing there. With Rina."
Amaya fussed softly, sensing the tension, tiny fingers gripping Rhea's collar.
"She almost turned," Rhea whispered, panic flashing through her again. "I felt it. I turned away first. I didn't let her see me."
Shyra's expression shifted—shock first, then something darker. Understanding.
"You're shaking," Shyra said quietly. "Rhea, slow down."
"I thought I was hallucinating," Rhea continued, words spilling now, unstoppable. "I've done that before. Heard her voice. But this time—this time it wasn't in my head." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "She's here. In the same city."
Shyra exhaled slowly, trying to keep her own reaction contained for Amaya's sake.
"Hey," she said, softer now. "Listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong. Seeing her doesn't mean you failed."
Rhea shook her head, tears streaking freely. "I can't see her again. I can't. I barely held myself together."
Shyra nodded once. "You won't. Not unless you want to."
Rhea laughed weakly through tears. "I don't want to. Ever."
Shyra reached over and wiped a tear from Rhea's cheek with her thumb. "Then we make sure of that."
The car merged back onto the road.
Streetlights passed in steady rhythm, illuminating Rhea's face in brief flashes—eyes red, jaw clenched, posture slowly regaining control.
But inside her chest, the damage lingered.
She had seen Ling.
Not in memory.
Not in dreams.
In the world.
And no amount of distance could undo that now.