Emilia's hands shook as she reached out and pulled Ruth into her arms. She had always thought of him as untouchable, distant, and cold.
But the moment her eyes met his, she saw something that left her breathless. His expression was not one of anger or indifference.
It was painful and filled with sadness. A quiet hurt buried deep inside that he had never allowed anyone to see. The sight of it struck her like a knife, and her chest tightened as though the sorrow was her own.
She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, holding him tighter. The silence between them was heavy, too heavy to bear, but words refused to come.
Emilia felt her throat burn with a hundred questions and apologies she wanted to spill, yet none of them seemed enough. Ruth had always been the one she could not reach, the one who stood apart from everyone else. But now, at this moment, he looked more human than ever. He looked broken, and she did not know how to mend him.
