Nora's heart froze.
The rain continued falling around her, but she couldn't hear anything anymore.
Only that word.
Her name.
"Nora."
She slowly lifted her head, staring at the man standing a few meters away.
Her voice trembled.
"How… do you know my name?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
For a moment, he simply stood there under the streetlight, the rain running down his face.
Then he turned fully toward her.
His expression was different now.
No longer calm.
No longer distant.
Something dark moved behind his eyes.
Something that frightened Nora.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
But his voice sounded strange.
Almost uncertain.
Nora shook her head.
"No… you said it."
"You said my name."
She took a step toward him.
"You know me."
The man clenched his jaw.
For a brief second, his eyes closed.
And when he opened them again…
They looked different.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Like someone hiding a terrible secret.
"You should stop following me," he said quietly.
Nora's chest tightened.
"I'm not following you."
"I've been looking for you for three years!"
The words escaped her before she could stop them.
The man's expression suddenly changed.
Three years.
That number clearly meant something to him.
He whispered almost to himself.
"...Three years."
Nora saw it.
The reaction.
The truth he was trying to hide.
Her voice became stronger.
"You remember."
The man looked at her again.
This time, there was no confusion in his eyes.
Only silence.
Heavy silence.
Then he spoke.
But the words he said made Nora's blood run cold.
"I remember dying."