When they finally brought him… he was unconscious.
They had carried out the mission exactly as I ordered—without a single scratch. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him lying there, in a bed I had made just for him… in a room no one had ever entered before.
I approached slowly, my hands trembling.
"You've finally come…"
The words nearly escaped my lips, but they caught in my throat. He was asleep, peaceful… as if all the years I had spent waiting for him had melted away, condensed into this single moment.
I sat beside him. I hesitated before reaching out, then gently, I brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead.
My fingers glided across his skin as if I were touching something sacred… I still remember the warmth of him, the heat of a living body… it was enough to be certain:
He was here.
He was real.
And then… I felt something strange inside me. Something like peace, like closure… as if everything had been worth it.
But deep down, I was afraid.
Afraid of his reaction.
Afraid he'd see me.
Afraid he'd hate me.
Afraid he'd ask, "Who are you?"
And I'd have no answer.
So… I withdrew.
And decided to be nothing more than a shadow.
To care for him in silence, from afar.
Because all I ever wanted… was for him to be happy.