(Note: Aki is Narrating her backstory)
We sat quietly near my mother's grave, the wind rustling gently through the winter trees. The snow had just started to fall again—soft and light, like her touch. I stared at her name carved into the stone. My heart ached, but at the same time, there was peace.
Zexon sat beside me, close enough to feel his warmth. I didn't realize I was trembling until he gently reached for my hand and held it tight.
"Aki," he said, his voice calm but full of emotion, "the day I first saw you... I felt something I can't explain. And now, holding your hand like this... I swear, I'll never let it go. Never. Not for anything in this world."
I looked at him, eyes wet, lips trembling.
"You know... my mom... she was everything to me. She worked herself to death so I could live... and in the end, she smiled. Because of you. She died smiling. That's all I ever wanted."
He didn't say anything. He just squeezed my hand a little tighter.
