Page 132 of Hidden Echoes

For a moment, everything stilled.

The lively, teasing atmosphere Lara had left behind was suddenly suspended in time. I had never seen Laura like this—dressed as a real academic, her lab coat perfectly fitted, hair tied back in a quick bun, glasses balanced on the tip of her nose.

Her eyes found mine.

And just like that, the past came rushing back.

The musty smell. The cold drafts. The voices beyond doors that never opened for us. The nights when we whispered to each other, trading fragments of our small internal worlds to keep from going insane.

Laura’s lips parted, but no words came immediately. Her gaze swept across my face, as if trying to convince herself that I was real.

"You are…" she started, then stopped. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

"Not hallucinating?" I finished for her, a hesitant smile tugging at my lips.

The corner of her mouth twitched, as if she wanted to smile but wasn’t sure how.

"I was going to say… 'different.'"

"Well, you don’t look much like a figment of my imagination either," I joked, trying to lighten the weight pressing on my chest. But as I took a step forward, I realized—Laura didn’t know what to do.

She was brilliant, a genius, but emotions were not her strong suit. And what were we supposed to do after all this time? Hug? Pretend the past never happened?

I made the decision for us.

I closed the distance and pulled her into a hug.

For a second, Laura was completely rigid. Then, slowly, her arms lifted, and she hugged me back.

"I thought I’d never see you again," she admitted in a whisper, her voice raw with vulnerability. She clung to me, almost as if she didn’t believe I was real.

I closed my eyes, squeezing her just a little tighter.

"Me too, little sister."

A throat cleared behind us.

Laura pulled back slightly, her expression shifting as if only now realizing we weren’t alone.

"Zane, this is Laura," I introduced, my hands still resting on her shoulders. "Laura, this is my husband."

Laura gave him a suspicious look, her gaze lingering a little too long before she spoke.

"Hi."

"Long story," I muttered.

Zane only nodded at her, but I recognized that look. The serious expression, the slightly tense posture, the way his eyes analyzed Laura without a trace of softness. He was still on the defensive.

"I heard you helped me," I said, lightly touching the sleeve of Laura’s lab coat. "You got me out of there."

Her gaze shifted, and she adjusted her glasses mechanically.

"It was nothing."

"It was everything."

Laura exhaled deeply and glanced at Zane again, as if expecting him to say something.

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