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."

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

never imagined it would

goodbye transformed into an eternal

sadness settling upon him like an oppressive weight,

words seemed feeble in the shadow of such profound

jolted her, her gaze following Cyrus' departure with concern

doesn't only look like Damien; he

fingertips tightened around the paper. "But the authorities confirmed there were no

"This is unbelievable."

"Even if you didn't see his body, the chances of surviving

if Damien miraculously survived the crash, why didn't he reach out to the

just be a

his attempt to conceal his emotions faltered, his reddened eyes betraying his inner turmoil. "Could this person be Damien's double? How

possibility,"

never lost hope.

kept her clinging to the belief that her son might still