For a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. My mind reeled with the weight of her confession, the memories still vivid as they clawed at the edges of my sanity.
"You just gave me away to them, just like that?" my voice was barely above a whisper, trembling with equal parts anger and disbelief. Someone I trusted. Could I trust anyone now?
Ruth flinched as if my words struck her physically. "I didn’t know what else to do. They said it was the only way to prevent the war against the night, the only way to keep them from tearing our world apart."
"You stole my life," I snapped, my voice rising despite the lump forming in my throat. "You could have found another way, Ruth. We could have fought together."
"I thought I was saving everyone! I thought I was saving you!" she cried, her voice breaking completely as she covered her face with her hands.