Her Rebirth.

It was a breezy Wednesday morning, sunlight spilling softly through the kitchen windows of Amelia’s apartment. She sat at the counter, lazily chewing a dry piece of toast, her legs crossed, hair pinned up in a loose bun as she stared blankly at the wall. The taste was dull, the texture borderline cardboard, and she couldn’t help the sigh that slipped past her lips.

"I miss real food," she muttered to herself, glancing down at the slice as if it were to blame. "Is it too much to ask for some scrambled eggs or perfectly browned pancakes? Kai may have been annoying, but at least he knew how to cook."

Right on cue, the front door burst open and Sera strutted in, her chin held high.

"Rise and shine, Amelia!" Sera declared, sweeping into the apartment like she owned the place. She wore a tight cheetah-print bodycon dress that hugged every curve, on her legs were cream platform heels that clicked on the hardwood floor, and a cream-colored fur wrap draped dramatically around her shoulders.

Amelia blinked. "Why are you here this early?"

Sera flipped her hair. "To show you how fabulous I can be, obviously. Now finish up, we have a date with Dior."

Amelia groaned. "Can this wait? I was just beginning to make peace with my pathetic breakfast."

"Nope! You promised to follow me for this shopping trip. And promises to me are sacred, Amelia." She plucked the toast from Amelia’s hand, took a bite, immediately winced, and tossed it into the bin. "Yep. We’re definitely going."

After Amelia dressed up, they headed to the underground garage and Amelia slid into the front seat of Sera’s car.

"Buckle up, bitch," Sera said as she adjusted the rearview mirror and Amelia did just that.

The drive was filled with loud music, Sera’s off-key singing, and Amelia silently wondering if she could survive the day without developing a migraine.

It wasn’t long before they got to the mall. The mall was grand, filled with several boutiques, the majority of which were high-end names. Sera dragged Amelia into boutique after boutique as she tried on various dresses ranging from glittery cocktail pieces to avant-garde monstrosities that looked more like museum art than clothing.

"Be honest," Sera said, stepping out of the fitting room in a red asymmetrical gown with a long slit and red feathers at its sleeves.

Amelia tilted her head, squinting. "It is nice, but it would be perfect if you lose the feathered sleeves."

Sera nodded. "Fair. Okay, what about this?" She popped back in, emerging moments later in a black velvet corset dress.

"It is quite elegant, if I must say," Amelia said, folding her arms. "It really flatters your figure. Pair it with stilettos and a minimalist clutch and you will be turning heads."

Sera beamed. "God, you’re brilliant."

Next was a sequined jumpsuit. Then a lace corset dress. Then a sheer bodysuit paired with leather trousers. Each time, Sera demanded Amelia’s critique, and each time Amelia gave feedback.

They spent hours shopping with Sera modeling, Amelia critiquing, both laughing louder than they probably should in such a ritzy place, and Amelia found herself enjoying it more than she expected to, sometimes even eager to give her feedback on whatever Sera tried out.

"You know," Sera said as they exited the last boutique, her arms loaded with bags, "shopping with a professional designer is like cheating."

As they strolled down a quieter aisle, they passed a boutique with glass mannequins displaying themed pajamas, playful, cheeky things that looked more like costumes than nightwear. One rack displayed animal-themed nightwear: furry rabbit sets, satin cat ones, even something that looked suspiciously like a rat in tulle with tails stitched to the back.

Sera stopped dead in her tracks. "Amelia. We need these."

"No, we don’t," Amelia replied immediately.

Sera grabbed the pink rabbit pajamas and held it up to Amelia’s chest. It had long drooping ears attached to the hood and a fluffy tail sewn at the back.

"You’re getting this."

"I am not wearing that."

"You are. Because we’re having a sleepover tonight."

"We are?" Amelia blinked.

"Yes, we are."

"But I wasn’t aware."

"You are now aware," Sera said sweetly, adding a matching cat version for herself to the basket.

---

As the sun set and the moon began to rise, a private jet’s door opened with a loud hiss and Kai stepped out slowly, eyes hidden behind his tinted glasses. The wind caught the edge of his coat as he paused at the top of the stairs, exhaling deeply.

He was finally back. Now he could see his little butterfly face to face. He missed her, missed her so much that the days without her were barely bearable.

But now...

"I’m back... my little butterfly," he murmured.

Waiting at the base of the stairs was his driver, standing next to the Rolls-Royce. As Kai approached, the driver bowed slightly. "Welcome back, boss."

Kai slipped inside the car and ordered smoothly, "Crestview."

It wasn’t long before the car pulled up in front of the high-rise apartment. And Lydia was waiting just at the entrance.

"Welcome back, boss," she said with a polite bow.

Kai gave a curt nod and stepped into the elevator, his fingers twitching restlessly against his thigh. His heart was racing rapidly and each second spent in the elevator felt like hours, and his thoughts gnawed at him.

What if she gets angry seeing him or becomes unhappy?

But he didn’t let the thoughts get to him. When he reached her floor, he walked to her door. Knocked once. Twice. Then waited.

A few seconds passed. Then—

The door opened.

Amelia stood there, eyes wide, mouth slightly open due to shock. Her hair was tousled, her cheeks pink from whatever chaos Sera had dragged her through. But none of that registered at first to Kai.

Because she was wearing a rabbit nightgown.

The droopy ears flopped forward from the hoodie, and Kai blinked, momentarily stunned.

"...Kai!" Amelia exclaimed, clutching the edge of her hoodie as if realizing only now what she was wearing.

His lips twitched.

Of all the reunions he’d imagined, dramatic, tense, emotional, this wasn’t even on the list.

But it might just be his favorite.