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> Content Warning: This chapter contains emotional themes including illness, parting, and coping with grief. Reader discretion is advised.
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The days were slipping away like sand through fingers, but Liv and Mia refused to spend their remaining time in sorrow. When Mia revealed that she had only a few days left in this body, Liv's heart shattered, but she didn't let it ruin what little time they still had.
They made a quiet escape to a coastal town, far from the chaos, the courtroom, the city, and the past. It was a place Nia and Liv had always dreamed of visiting when they were younger—a small village by the sea where the sun kissed the waves and the winds sang lullabies.
For one week, they lived not as someone who had suffered or lost, but simply as sisters who finally got a chance to just be.
They played in the sand, ate street food by lantern light, and stargazed on the rooftop of their rented inn. Mia, though in the body of a child, felt more alive than ever, and Liv cherished every breath, every smile, every tear they shared.
Liv would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to find Mia curled beside her, eyes open, quietly watching her.
"You're still afraid?" Liv asked once, brushing a hand over her cheek.
"I'm not afraid of where I'll go," Mia whispered. "I'm afraid you'll forget I was here."
Liv pulled her into her arms. "You were always with me, even when I didn't know it. And now that I do… I won't let your memory fade. Ever."
On the sixth day, as they sat watching the sunrise, Mia broke the silence.
"You should take care of the real soul of this body, Liv. Love her as your own. I don't want her to be lonely like we once were."
Liv's throat tightened. "I will. I promise."
Mia looked toward the sea, her eyes glistening. "I was greedy, wasn't I? I just wanted to be with you… just one more time."
"And you gave me everything," Liv replied, tears slipping down her cheeks. "One last time is enough for a lifetime."
That same evening, an invitation arrived. It was for Ravien's wedding—her eldest brother. It felt strange, almost cruel, to celebrate something while knowing what was about to be lost. But Mia smiled.
"Let's go. Let's live that moment too."
The wedding was grand, held in a rose-adorned estate. Guests moved about in bright silks and laughter echoed through the night air. But for Liv and Mia, it was a quiet celebration. One that belonged only to them.
Mia danced with Liv, her tiny hands gripping her sister's tightly. Under the soft glow of chandeliers, they shared smiles like old times.
And then the night grew quiet. The last song faded. The world held its breath.
In their room later that night, Mia lay in bed beside Liv. The air was still. Liv held her hand and whispered stories from their childhood—of treehouses, rainy nights, and fireflies they never caught.
Mia whispered back, "If I ever get another chance… I'll find you again. I promise."
"And I'll wait," Liv replied, holding her close.
The next morning, Mia didn't wake up right away.
The doctors said it was just fatigue from the fever, nothing alarming. She was still unconscious, but stable. Her small hand rested in Liv's palm, warm and fragile.
Liv sat beside her through the morning light, watching her chest rise and fall in steady rhythm. A sense of quiet washed over her—not of loss, but of waiting. Of treasuring what little time they had left.
Because when she looked down at Mia's peaceful face, she saw not a farewell… but a promise.
A beginning.
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