Aiden’s POV“Stop lying to me, Mila.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, slicing through the tense silence between us.Mila flinched, her expression flickering with a mix of confusion and defiance. “I’m not lying,” she shot back, folding her arms across her chest. “But maybe you should tell me what’s really going on because you’re acting like a crazy person.”My hands curled into fists at my sides as frustration bubbled inside me. How could she not see it? How could she not feel the weight of everything we’d lost, everything we’d become?“You don’t remember me, fine. I can live with that,” I said, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “But don’t stand there and tell me you don’t feel it—the cracks, the inconsistencies, the lie of this place.”Mila’s eyes narrowed. “Aiden, this is real. It’s all I’ve ever known. Whatever fantasy you’re clinging to—”“It’s not a fantasy!” I snapped, taking a step closer. She held her ground, but I could see the flicker of doubt in her ey

Aiden’s POVThe darkness around us was suffocating, swallowing every shred of light and hope. My lungs burned as I struggled to breathe, my hand still gripping Mila’s as if letting go would mean losing her forever.“Aiden,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Where are we?”“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely audible over the echoing silence. The ground beneath us was cold and unsteady, like walking on shards of broken glass. The air was heavy, charged with a sense of impending doom.Mila tightened her grip on my hand. “Is this... are we still in the same world?”Before I could answer, a faint light flickered in the distance, drawing both our gazes. It pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat.“Stay close,” I said, my voice firm despite the fear clawing at my chest.We moved toward the light, each step feeling like an eternity. The air grew colder, and with every breath, I felt the weight of our reality pressing down on me.“What if this is a trap?” Mila asked, her voice laced w

Mila’s POVThe silence after the collapse was deafening.I couldn’t tell if my heart was still beating or if the rhythm I felt was just the remnants of this fractured world trying to hold itself together. The void had swallowed everything—Aiden, the shards of light, even my own screams. I was alone in a darkness so complete it felt alive.Then, out of the void, his voice called to me.“Mila.”I spun, desperate, clutching at the emptiness. “Aiden? Where are you?”A flicker of light appeared in the distance, faint and trembling. My legs moved on instinct, carrying me toward it. As I drew closer, the light grew, revealing Aiden standing in the center of an endless expanse of white. His figure was sharp, but his eyes… they held a darkness that mirrored the void we’d just escaped.I hesitated, my steps faltering. “Aiden… what’s happening? Where are we?”His jaw tightened, his gaze fixed on the nothingness around us. “This… this is all that’s left.”“What do you mean?” I demanded, my voice

Mila’s POVThe ground beneath us was gone, yet somehow, we stood suspended in the void, surrounded by fractals of crumbling reality. Light and shadow warred around us, the entity’s voice a low hum in the background, as if it was savoring our agony.Aiden tightened his grip on my hand, his touch the only anchor I had left. “Mila, whatever happens, I’m not letting go. Not again.”I wanted to believe him, but the crushing weight of the entity’s words pressed down on my chest like a vice. You must sever all emotional ties… including your bond.“Do you think this is it?” My voice wavered, breaking through the deafening silence between us. “Is this how it all ends?”He turned to me, his dark eyes blazing with determination. “Not if I can help it.”The entity’s voice erupted from the void, cold and commanding. “You cling to something that was never meant to be. Your love is an aberration, and the world suffers for it.”“Stop hiding behind your riddles!” Aiden shouted into the emptiness. “If

Aiden’s POVThe world around us was painfully vivid—streets filled with the hum of ordinary life, sunlight spilling through the cracks in tall buildings, and the distant sound of children laughing. Everything looked so… normal. So real.Mila stood next to me, silent, her hands trembling at her sides. She wasn’t holding mine anymore.“Mila,” I said softly, but she didn’t turn to me. Her eyes were fixed on something ahead—a coffee shop. Through the glass, I could see an alternate version of her, sitting by the window. She was smiling, her face lit up as she chatted with someone I didn’t recognize.“That’s me,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “But it’s not me. It’s…”“Another version of you,” I finished, my chest tightening.“And look.” She pointed across the street.I turned and felt the breath leave my lungs. There I was—or rather, another version of me—walking out of a bookstore, a small stack of novels tucked under one arm. He looked… lighter, happier. No shadows lurking in