But even across the distance, even after five years, I recognized that face—sharp features, aristocratic nose, and those brown eyes that remained devastatingly vivid in memory.
Alexander Volkov.
Timereversed.
I was back that night, back in that shabby rental, back in that moment of terror and magnetic attraction.
I remembered his fingers lifting my chin, his low voice in my ear, that dangerous, hypnotic gleam in his eyes...
How could he be here?
How could he live next door?
My breath caught, heart seized by an invisible fist.
Five years. Five years without seeing him, yet he appeared unchanged—still devastatingly handsome, still dangerous, still... impossible to ignore. If anything, maturity had only enhanced his magnetism.
He noticed the activity next door, his gaze sweeping this direction.
My pulse instantly went into overdrive.
No—he couldn't see me. Couldn't see Sofia.
Once he glimpsed Sofia's brown eyes—identical to his—saw her features mirroring his own, he'd know immediately.
Panic crashed over me like ice water.
I practically tumbled toward the yard. "Sofia! Inside!"
"But Mommy, I want to keep playing..."
"Now!" My voice emerged harsher than intended. Sofia startled.
I rushed over, gripped her wrist—harder than I meant—and pulled her houseward.
"Mommy, you're hurting me—"
"Sorry, sorry, sweetheart—" My voice trembled, but I didn't stop until we were inside and I slammed the door.
The sound jarred the quiet evening.
I pressed against the door, legs weakening, nearly sliding down.
Gasping, heart hammering like it might burst from my chest, ears filled with thunderous pulse.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Sofia looked up with those brown eyes full of concern and confusion. "You're acting strange..."
Those eyes. Identical to his.
I knelt, trembling hands framing her small face, fighting complete breakdown.
"Nothing, sweetheart." I struggled to sound normal, voice still shaking. "Mommy's just... tired. Let's rest, okay?"
Sofia nodded but watched me uneasily.
I led her to the living room, mind reeling.
He lived next door.
