CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN – HI! MY NAME IS SKYLAR!

During one particularly low period when Kayla spent several days feeling utterly unmoored, Lance gathered her hands in his and spoke in a low, fervent tone. "You are the strongest, most incredible woman I've ever known," he said intently. "You've been through hell and back a dozen times over, and you've never stopped fighting. Not for yourself, not for your family, not for me." His thumb brushed over the thin, faded scar on her knuckle - a relic from some long-forgotten event, but one that clearly held immense meaning for him. "You've carried me through the darkest times in my life, Kayla. You're my light, my reason to live and breathe. And I swear on everything I hold sacred, I will return that gift a thousandfold until you find your way back to me. No matter how long it takes." Kayla stared back at him, mesmerized and unnerved in equal measure by the sheer force of his devotion. How could she ever hope to live up to this human's towering expectations? This mysterious former self