Kaelix paced the cold stone floor of his chambers, his steps unsteady and his hands trembling. Two weeks.
Two excruciating weeks had passed, and still, there was no word, no trace, no sign of Eirik. He pressed his trembling hands to his face, fighting back the torrent of guilt and helplessness that had been building within him since that night.
Every corner of the room whispered Eirik's presence, his touch lingered in the air, as though he might walk in at any moment with that familiar, gentle smile.
But there was only emptiness now, a suffocating void that gnawed at Kaelix's heart and left him hollow. Eirik's absence felt like a wound that would never heal, and Kaelix was beginning to wonder if he could go on without him.
He closed his eyes, memories slipping through his mind like sand. He could see Eirik's face, lit by the soft morning light, his eyes filled with quiet joy as he leaned close, whispering, "We're going to be a family, Kaelix. I'm pregnant."
