It had been three weeks since the fire.Three weeks since June opened her eyes and said, "It's over."
But Daniel didn't believe her.
Not really.
They'd moved out of the apartment. Left everything.Even the ashes.
The doll?Gone.The mirrors?Broken.The whispers?Quieter.
But not silent.
One night, as June showered, Daniel walked past the mirror in their rented cottage bathroom.
It was fogged.
But not from steam.
Words had appeared.
Not written.Pressed.From the other side.
"Do you miss her?"
He stood frozen.
Behind him, June hummed the same lullaby she had when Eleanor was inside her.
Later that night, Daniel asked gently, "Do you… feel different?"
June paused.
She looked up from her cup of tea.
Smiled.
"She loved me. That's all.She loved me in a way no one else ever could."
Daniel's voice cracked. "Do you still hear her?"
A long pause.
June turned toward the mirror over the sink.
Her reflection was already waiting.
Smiling.
"Not hear.Just… remember."
And in the reflection, her eyes flickered once.
A flash of ash.Then nothing.
Just June.
Just… June.