Chapter 104

Nick

How can this be?

She peeled her face off… and it was Lyra’s face staring back at me.

My Lyra.

For a second, my heart forgot how to beat. My hands flew up to my head, fingers digging into my hair as if holding my skull together would make sense of what I’d just seen. My breathing turned shallow, my chest rising and falling like I’d just run miles.

I stood frozen in front of the screen, watching her every move like I’d been chained there. She walked into the bathroom casually, wrapped in that small towel, droplets of water still clinging to her skin like tiny stars. Her movements were soft, like she was trying to erase the world one step at a time. Then she returned, sat at the edge of the bed, and lifted one leg slowly as she reached for the lotion.

Her legs… they were exactly how I remembered them. Long and smooth.

I caught myself staring. Not just looking.

“What nice legs she has,” I muttered without even realizing it. My own voice startled me, and I quickly turned my head away…