ROMAN
I stood frozen in the hallway, her words still echoing in the space between us.
*"I stayed away because I found acceptance. Love. A place where I wasn't made to feel broken."*
Each syllable was a blade, slicing through the armor of righteous anger I'd hidden behind for years. The truth hit me with the force of a physical blow—I had done this. Not her. Me.
I watched her walk away, her shoulders straight despite the weight I knew she carried. My wolf clawed at my chest, desperate to chase after her, but my feet remained rooted to the floor. What right did I have to follow?
None. I had no right to anything.
The realization crashed over me like ice water. I'd spent years nurturing my anger, letting it fester into bitterness. Telling myself I was the wronged party. The abandoned mate. The victim.
What a fucking joke.