ONE YEAR LATER
Time seemed to crawl after Drex left, each day stretching into an eternity. The first few months were torturous; I would lie awake most nights, hoping to see him materialize in my room, even if only for a fleeting moment. I longed to bump into a stranger with those same golden, glowing eyes, a silent confirmation that he still thought of me. But he never came. There was no sign that he had ever existed, save for my memories and Aydin's haunting words.
