Chapter 235

The little girl ran through the waves, like a princess from a fairy tale. She moved with such joy, dancing on the crests of the waves, twirling as if weightless. It was mesmerizing—too beautiful and lifelike to believe it was merely a light show. It felt as though a real little girl played there, on the waves. I held my breath, afraid to blink, unwilling to miss a second.

Then, as a larger wave rose, another figure appeared: a boy. He stood tall, watching the girl with quiet intensity. She glanced back at him and, after a moment, ran toward him. "Hi, I'm Kiki. What's your name?"

My heart squeezed. That little girl was me.

"Haddy, don't run..." "Haddy, wait for me..."

The boy stopped and reached out his hand. They held hands and ran together.

"Haddy, I'm tired. Carry me." "Haddy, run faster..."

The girl climbed onto the boy's back, and they skimmed across the waves. My eyes blurred with tears. Hayden had transformed my childhood memories into a light show. So, the dreams I'd thought were merely dreams were real all along.

"Haddy, when I grow up, I'm going to marry you." "Haddy, you have to wait for me, okay? Don't forget..."

As the scenes unfolded, everything clicked. Hayden hadn't simply appeared in my life by accident; it wasn't some calculated move. It was because of a promise he'd made to me long ago. The lights were mesmerizing. It felt as though I'd stepped into a fairy tale, yet also as though I'd been pulled back in time, to my childhood.

At the show's end, I saw my parents. They looked exactly as I remembered—standing together, smiling at me. My mother's voice echoed softly, "Kiki, be happy." I didn't realize I was crying until the lights faded and I was sobbing uncontrollably.

Hayden held me close, his embrace steady. "Your parents are watching, you know. If you cry like this, they'll be sad." His words only intensified my tears. No one knew how much I missed my parents. I'd thought I'd never see them again, but Hayden had used AI to bring them back to me, even if only for a moment.

"If you have something to say, you can tell them now," Hayden said, surprising me. I had so much I wanted to say, but no words came. Deep down, I knew they were projections, not real.

In the end, I said nothing. I simply looked at them, memorizing every detail. I wasn't sure when the Ferris wheel resumed its movement, but when it stopped, I saw Jace stepping from his cabin. He strode over and flung open our door, anger etched across his face. "Hayden Hart, get out here."

His voice was sharp and demanding, making me jerk my head up. Jace's eyes widened at my tear-streaked face; shock was evident. Hayden didn't even look at him. He gently wiped away my tears, his voice calm and soothing. "Stay here and take a minute." He brushed his hand over my hair, then started to leave the cabin. I reached out and grabbed his arm.