Iva froze on the spot, her entire body locking as if time itself had stopped around her, her breath caught somewhere between her lungs and her throat, refusing to move, refusing to exist, as her wide eyes fixed on the figure standing in the hallway.
And then—
That figure stilled too.
Slowly.
Almost hesitantly.
As if sensing her presence before fully turning.
And when she did—
Their eyes met.
Everything else disappeared.
Noise.
Thoughts.
The world.
“…Lori…” the name formed silently on Iva’s lips before sound could even follow.
Her heart lurched violently in her chest, her vision blurring instantly as tears filled her eyes without permission, without warning, as the reality of what she was seeing crashed into her all at once.
Lori.
Her best friend.
Her anchor.
The one person
