Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

"I'm sure." Lauren nodded firmly.

In an unusual departure from his usual composure, Cyrus fixated on the portrait, his usually steady demeanor giving way to a tense stillness, his eyes tinged with red.

Concerned, Lauren approached him, noting the uncharacteristic reaction. "Cyrus, are you alright?"

Cyrus responded hoarsely, "I'm sorry. I need to go to the restroom. Where is it?"

Jasper raised his hand, indicating the direction. Cyrus immediately left with purposeful strides.

"Lyse, do you recognize him?" Jasper hugged Alyssa by the waist and asked with anxious urgency.

Alyssa took a deep breath, striving to quell her tumultuous emotions. "He bears a striking resemblance to my late brother, Damien, who perished in a plane crash."

Jasper and Lauren widened their eyes in disbelief.

Damien's untimely demise had left an enduring wound in the Taylor family's collective heart. Tears welled in Alyssa's eyes as she reflected on the painful memory.

"Our family refrained from discussing Damien ever since his passing, especially in the presence of Mandy and Cyrus. Not out of forgetfulness, but because his memory was too painful to confront."

of loss resurfaced, threatening to overwhelm her. "I can still vividly recall the day of Damien's passing. Clad in his pilot uniform

imagined it would

goodbye transformed into an eternal

sadness settling upon him

any words seemed feeble in the shadow of such

her, her gaze following Cyrus' departure with

in the portrait doesn't only look like Damien; he is

"But the authorities

"This is unbelievable."

voice was slightly hoarse as he said, "Even if you didn't see his body, the chances of surviving such

crash, why didn't he reach

just be a

inner turmoil. "Could this person be

a possibility,"

never lost hope. They tirelessly searched for Damien, leveraging every connection they

to accept his loss, fueled by the absence of definitive proof, kept her clinging to the belief that her son might still be out