Emma was my everything in my past life.
The thought came unbidden as I stared up at Alyssara's jade eyes, memories flooding back with painful clarity. Emma had been the one who brought color into a life that had been nothing but shades of grey. She taught me how to live, not merely exist—showed me that there could be joy and warmth and connection in a world that had seemed cold and mechanical.
That was why she had been irreplaceable. Unique. Sacred.
When I first suspected that Emma had come to this world in the form of Alyssara, it had caused immense internal panic. Not hope, not joy, but terror—because this twisted creature straddling me now was everything Emma had never been. Where Emma's love had been gentle and nurturing, Alyssara's was possessive and consuming. Where Emma had encouraged my growth and independence, Alyssara sought to cage me for her own satisfaction.
