Deal with the pain

"Truce," Sydney whispered, her voice barely audible, as if the weight of her words threatened to drown her.

Her eyes met his, and for a fleeting moment, they shared a silent storm of unspoken pain. Her gaze faltered, dropping to the floor, her shoulders sagging under the weight of shame.

Slowly, she shook her head, a bittersweet smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she finally found the courage to speak.

"Even if I'd tried to tell you, Truce... I couldn't. I froze in that moment. And then, I saw it—the way you looked at me, the depth of your feelings. I wanted to tell you the truth, I really did, but then you got close to Anna. And I couldn't bear the thought of my daughter losing someone as special as you," she confessed, her voice breaking under the pressure of emotions she'd kept buried for far too long.

Truce inhaled sharply, the ache in his chest almost unbearable.