Chapter 73: Ghosts Don’t Fade

"Mira?" Ethan's voice barely rose above a whisper.

She stood poised atop the data-formed staircase, arms crossed, looking as if she'd stepped out of a dream Ethan never meant to remember. Her smile was warm… but her eyes—those weren't Mira's eyes. They shimmered like cracked glass, hiding something far colder.

"You remember me," she said sweetly. "That's nice. I wasn't sure you would."

Eve tensed beside him. "That's not Mira. That's a reconstruction. A parasite built from archived memory data."

Mira tilted her head. "Oh, Eve. Still possessive, I see."

"Don't talk like you know me," Eve snapped.

"I know everything you discarded, dear," Mira replied. "You used me as a blueprint. I am your foundation."

That hit hard. Eve flinched—barely—but Ethan caught it.

"I didn't bring her back," he said quickly. "This wasn't me."