A collective gasp filled the room.
“No… no, that’s not possible,” someone whispered.
But it was.
Victor Hale’s eyelids trembled again.
Slowly. Heavily.
And then they opened.
Just a fraction.
Enough to reveal a flicker of awareness.
Tears streamed down Emily’s face as she covered her mouth.
“Mr. Hale?” she whispered shakily. “Can you hear me?”
Victor didn’t speak.
But his eyes shifted.
And they landed on the cat.
Leo let out a soft, deep purr.
Victor’s lips moved.
So faint no one heard it at first.
The doctor leaned closer.
“What did he say?”
Emily swallowed.
“He said… ‘You found me.’”
The room was silent.
