With age came certainty for Jayden, never once doubting the validity of this conclusion.

Yet, at sixteen, when Eileen returned, graceful and poised amidst the crowd, seemingly oblivious to their shared history, she unwittingly stoked Jayden's anger, reinforcing his belief that it was Lori who had saved him.

That's why he harbored such intense animosity towards Eileen.

Occasionally, he would drift back into reminiscences of that year, but Eileen seemed to have forgotten them all.

Repeatedly, he had asked her about that pivotal event, but she would always shake her head, asking, "Did that really happen?"

Reflecting on this, he couldn't help but turn to Eileen once more and inquire,...