CHAPTER 1 — THE LITTLE GIRL WHO KNEW HIS NAME
Ethan Carter had spent the last five years pretending his heart was still alive.
Every morning, he buried himself in work. Every evening, he returned to the same empty penthouse overlooking Manhattan, where silence echoed louder than any conversation.
His wife, Olivia, had died in a devastating house fire.
At least... that's what everyone believed.
One bright Saturday afternoon, Ethan attended a charity event hosted by his company. Children ran through the marble lobby laughing while donors smiled for cameras.
As he prepared to leave, a tiny girl in a pink dress suddenly stopped in front of him.
She couldn't have been older than five.
Holding a worn teddy bear close to her chest, she looked straight into Ethan's eyes.
"Mister..."
Her voice trembled.
"My shoe came untied."
Without thinking, Ethan smiled for the first time in weeks.
He knelt down and tied the little girl's shoe with surprising care.
When he finished, the girl leaned closer and whispered something that froze every drop of blood in his body.
"My mommy says you still cry every night."
Ethan's smile vanished.
"What... did you say?"
The girl simply hugged her teddy bear tighter.
"She said you never stopped loving her."
His breathing became uneven.
"Where is your mother?"
Instead of answering, the girl pointed toward the entrance.
Ethan slowly stood.
His heart nearly exploded.
Standing in the doorway...
Wearing the exact white dress Olivia had worn on their anniversary...
Was the woman he had buried five years ago.
She didn't move.
She simply looked at him.
The entire lobby faded into silence.
Ethan whispered only one word.
"Olivia..."
And she smiled.
The same heartbreaking smile he had dreamed about every single night.
Then she turned around...
...and walked away before he could reach her.
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By the time Ethan rushed outside—
She had completely disappeared.
