⭐ Prologue
The room smelled of antiseptic and blood.
"Stay with me… please…" I whispered, clutching her trembling hand.
She smiled faintly, her lips pale. "Even if I die… I'll come back to you. I promise."
And then—her voice faded.
A newborn's cry filled the silence.
My girlfriend… the only girl I ever loved… was gone.
But her words lingered in my heart like a curse.
Come back to me…?
I didn't understand what she meant—until years later.
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⭐ Chapter 1: The Girl With Her Eyes
"Papa, why are you sad again?"
I froze. My daughter's small voice pulled me out of my daze. She was only six years old, with black hair that gleamed in the sunlight. But her eyes—those deep, gentle eyes—were exactly the same as hers.
I forced a smile. "Nothing, Hikari. Don't worry."
She tilted her head, pouting. "You always hide it. Just like before… when we used to sit by the river, remember?"
My heart stopped.
That was impossible. Only she knew about the river. My girlfriend, who died the day Hikari was born.
I knelt down. "Hikari… what did you just say?"
She blinked, then smiled knowingly. "I told you, didn't I? I came back, just like I promised."
Her words hit me harder than any blade.
She wasn't just my daughter. She was… her.