[Renji's POV—Riverside—Continuation]
The river kept moving. Unbothered. Unchanging. As if it didn't care that my entire world was balanced on a single question.
Who do you see?
Hayato didn't look at me at first. His gaze stayed fixed on the dark water, jaw tight, shoulders drawn like he was bracing himself against something unseen.
"I know this must be confusing for you, Renji," he said quietly. "But… I still want to hear the answer."
The night air felt colder.
"Maybe you're right," he continued, voice steady but strained beneath the surface. "Maybe I am your Alvar. Your husband." He let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh but wasn't. "Maybe we had a beautiful life. Maybe I loved you so much that I crossed dimensions just to reach you."
My heart twisted painfully.
"But—" He paused.
Then he turned.
His eyes locked onto mine.
Clear. Searching. Afraid.
"There's a fact you can't ignore," he said. "I don't remember any of it."
