Ethan held the letter tightly, rain dripping down his sleeves. He had read it a dozen times in the past ten minutes, yet the words refused to make sense. Waiting? Who was waiting—and for what?
A soft voice called from behind him.
"Ethan?"
He froze. The voice was unmistakable. Her voice.
He turned, heart hammering. Standing under the shelter of a streetlamp was his sister, Mia. Her hair was soaked, her coat torn at the sleeve, but her eyes… her eyes were the same ones that had haunted his dreams for two years.
"I didn't mean to scare you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I had to… I had to disappear."
Ethan's knees felt weak. "Disappear? Mia… where have you been? We—" His words caught in his throat.
"I can't explain everything yet," she said, glancing at the rain. "But I found a way back. And it starts here—with you."
The rain fell harder, washing over them like a veil, hiding the city but highlighting the moment that had been missing for too long. Ethan reached for her hand, trembling. For the first time in years, he felt hope.
But somewhere, deep inside, a question gnawed at him: Why now? Why after all this time?
Mia looked at him, eyes full of both sorrow and resolve.
"Because some truths… can't wait forever," she said.