Chapter 145. Love Illusions

Xerina’s POV

The darkness was suffocating. It wrapped around me, pulling me deeper into the void. But in that silence, in that emptiness, something flickered. A memory. Faint. Broken.

I was standing in an alley. The air was cool, damp, and the night hung heavy around me. My heart raced, though not from fear. No, it was something else. Anticipation. Desire.

A figure appeared at the edge of the shadows. He stepped forward, and I could see him clearly now. His pale blue eyes locked onto mine, and everything else faded away. There was something about those eyes—something that stirred something deep within me, something I couldn’t quite place. They felt familiar. Too familiar.

His gaze was intense, burning into me, making the world tilt on its axis. He stepped closer, his footsteps deliberate, slow, like he was savoring the moment. My breath caught in my throat. He was close now, so close I could feel the heat of his body radiating toward me.

The alle