CHAPTER 19: A NEW RESOLUTION

Don't ever show your face to me again.

…

I lost him. I lost Saval.

That was the first thought that crossed Semiel's mind as he watched his friend's lonely figure dissolve into the darkness of the night.

He stood frozen, staring at the spot where Saval had disappeared, but the weight of those last words lingered, echoing in his mind like a cruel refrain that refused to fade.

I lost him.

I lost everything.

The night was cold, but what chilled him wasn't the air. It was the way Saval had looked at him before walking away. The way his eyes—always full of trust, full of that unbreakable bond between them—had darkened with betrayal. He had never looked at him like that before. And Semiel had never felt such crushing guilt.

The park was silent now. Only the distant hum of the city and the occasional rustling of leaves filled the void. Semiel shut his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, but it was impossible. Everything in his mind was chaos.

Saval believed he had betrayed him. And maybe, in some ways, he had.

He never wanted this to happen. He never wanted to lie or keep secrets. But now, Saval was gone, convinced that his best friend had been a fraud all along. That he had deceived him.

But he hadn't wanted to.

Semiel clenched his fists, a cold sweat forming on his skin as memories came rushing back.

Antonella had forced him into this.

She had threatened him, used his feelings for Saval against him, manipulated him until he was trapped with no way out. She knew how Saval felt about her. And she had used that knowledge to her advantage. She had said things, insinuated others. And before he even realized it, they had been caught in her web.

And he had played along.

And now, here he was. Staring at nothing, feeling the emptiness swell inside him, knowing he had just lost the one person who meant the most to him.

He could tell himself he had no choice. That Antonella had been too cunning, that she had blackmailed him into this. But it wasn't true. There had always been a choice. He could have told Saval the truth.

But he hadn't.

Because he was afraid. Because he didn't want to face the possibility of Saval hating him. Because, in some twisted way, he thought that by keeping the truth hidden, he was protecting him. That maybe, just maybe, if no one talked about what had happened, things could stay the same.

But they hadn't.

The moment he saw the look on Saval's face when he realized the truth, he knew. There was no going back.

He sank onto a park bench, feeling the weight of his mistake pressing down on him. Saval had always been his brother, his closest friend… the person he loved. And now, because of his own cowardice, he had let all of that slip through his fingers.

He ran a hand over his face, as if that could erase the thoughts racing through his mind. He wanted to believe this wasn't permanent, that there was still a way to fix things.

But he knew Saval.

And Saval never forgave lies.

He never forgave betrayals.

And Semiel had committed the worst betrayal of all.

He cursed under his breath, overwhelmed by an unbearable frustration. There was no way to go back in time, no way to undo what had been done. All he could do now was accept his actions and carry the weight of the consequences.

But what was he supposed to do now?

Tomorrow would be the last time he saw him. Saval would be at the event, and after that, he wouldn't see him again.

Talk to Antonella? Tell her that because of her damn blackmail, he had lost his best friend?

No. It was pointless.

Antonella had planned this from the start. She wanted him to suffer. To her, Semiel had never been anything more than a pawn, a tool to keep control over Saval. And he had walked right into her trap like a fool.

But not anymore.

If there was one thing he was certain of now, it was that he would never play along again. He would never be part of her manipulations again. He had already lost too much.

All that was left now was to wait. To wait and see if Saval could ever forgive him. If he would ever get the chance to explain everything, to make him understand that he never wanted to hurt him. That all he ever wanted to do was protect him.

But for now, all he could do was sit there, feeling the cold of the night wrap around him, the weight of his solitude pressing deeper into his chest.

Saval was gone.

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped him.

Hahaha, I obeyed Antonella so as not to lose her friendship, and now I lost it by hiding the truth from her—was Semiel's thought as he began to cry.Tears began to fall, silent at first, then heavier, until his shoulders shook with the force of his grief.

But no more.

He was going to fix this.

He would tell Saval the truth. He would tell him everything. He would make him see what kind of person Antonella really was.

And he would tell him how he felt.

…Saval, I failed you once. But I will make it right… because I love you.