Chasing Her Back

tened, my lungs burning with everything I wan

. I hesitated. Part of me wanted to turn around and

Same expensive furniture, but the warmth was gone. Maybe it had never bee

and we stood there. Two people

. "Before the proposal. I just-" he dragged a hand through

urned to face him.

had something to say, b

y voice cracked. "You dressed me like her. Styled my hair like h

ped. That was

thud. "Was any of it r

't just her. I didn't plan this.

u let me believe I was enough while

her for three years. She vanished without a trace. And then... you showed up. Brok

hit me. "So what was I? A

dn't

night you proposed. You looked me i

oice softened.

bitter. "You don't

d between us. He

er a long beat. "Then how were you going to tell me, Elias? Whe

face, like he was carrying too many tru

Things I forgot. Places we'd been. Codes only she

iet. "And me? You wer

for a moment. "Yo

more than

e. The lies, the half-truths, the ghost of a woman I coul

oke again. Qui

somethi

top

your ac

od wen

e, face drawn. "I

ly, heart pounding

ep in one of Lena's old hard drives. I only found it yest

na

he one I gave you

like it shift

emory reconstruction, identity override-things I didn't

ot

"You mean... I was

ded by private investors. Lena was tied to it.

ath hi

a crash," he added. "I think it was st

le

ticking. Just the quiet t

ooner?" I asked, barely a

told you and it wasn't true..." He

te for

omething out-a flash drive. "Here. It's

ike it might exp

giving this t

" he said. "Even if it destro

ook

't kn

me needed to know who I w

ng me space. "If you wal

ked at him. The man who sav

lked

ime, I was

was going to

r what i