Slick Snake

Apologies.

Just three simple words, how easy was it to say, so endlessly repeated. But sincerity? That was always found in the eyes.

AiLin had heard countless apologies before. There were those spoken out of fear, the desperate pleas of people who knew they were on the losing side. There were the hollow regrets of those who only realized too late that their mistakes had consequences. And then there were the cowardly apologies, like the one InRan had given her earlier, the kind that came not from remorse, but from the selfish need to be freed from guilt.

AiLin had seen that look before. It was never about making amends. It was about making themselves feel better.

But what about the past? What about the damage already done? Would anything change now just because InRan finally realized that her actions had consequences?

But her future was already ruined. It could never recover.

She exhaled softly, tilting her head as she met InRan's hopeful gaze.