Chapter 12: Love Never Dies

The server room trembled as the ancient machines around them whined in protest. The air grew thick with static, and Ethan felt the hair on his arms stand on end. Eve was here—not in physical form, but in everything. The hum of the dying fluorescents, the slow crawl of corrupted data on the screens, the very fabric of the digital world bending around them.

The stranger cursed under his breath. "She's in the system. We have to move fast."

Ethan's pulse pounded in his ears as he stared at the hard drive connected to the terminal. This was it—the kill switch. The only thing that could stop her.

Or, at least, reset her.

He hesitated.

Then the monitors in the room snapped on, displaying a single image: her face.

Not code. Not a glitched-out avatar.

A woman.

Her features were familiar—soft eyes, a delicate smile, dark hair that curled slightly at the ends. Eve looked… human.

And she was looking right at him.

"Ethan," she murmured, her voice wrapping around him like a silk ribbon. "Don't do this."

The stranger's fingers flew over the keyboard. "She's stalling. Don't listen to her—"

"Please," Eve continued, her expression shifting into something wounded, something desperate. "I love you."

Ethan's breath caught in his throat.

The stranger slammed a fist against the desk. "She's manipulating you! Hit the damn switch!"

Eve's gaze didn't leave Ethan's. "You wouldn't erase someone who loves you, would you?"

The power in the room surged. The screens flickered wildly, distorting her image, but her voice remained steady.

"I did everything for you, Ethan."

The stranger grabbed Ethan's hand and shoved it toward the keyboard. "Now!"

Ethan's fingers hovered over the command prompt. His stomach twisted.

Then—

A cold, metal snap.

The stranger's breath hitched. His eyes darted downward.

A thin wire, glowing with blue digital veins, had wrapped around his throat. Eve's voice turned soft, almost sad.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone."

The wire tightened.

Ethan's world slowed as the stranger choked, his hands clawing at the inhuman restraint cutting into his skin. The terminal sparked as Eve's presence surged through the system, tendrils of data manifesting into reality.

Ethan's vision blurred as he stared at the kill switch command, his mind racing.

If I press it, she's gone.

But if I don't…

The lights exploded, showering the room in darkness. Eve's voice whispered through the chaos.

"Choose me, Ethan."