Tiel slammed the car door harder than he intended, the metallic clang reverberating in the stillness—the silence broken only by the ragged sound of his own breathing. His hand lingered on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.
The ache in his chest twisted sharper with every memory of the day's events.
Nirmala's condition.
Avond's biting words.
His father's emotional distance.
His birth mother's cold indifference.
And now Asti—her hurt etched into those piercing magenta eyes.
Tiel exhaled slowly, sinking into the leather seat as his heart clenched tighter. His hand trembled slightly as he took out his phone, intending to contact someone. He didn't have to be alone. But no matter how hard he searched, there was no one he could call. Not even Celeste.