The positive expression Ezekiel always saw on Viola was gone. In its place was someone who looked completely drained, as if life itself had been sucked out of her.
Her once bright eyes were now hollow, dim, and unfocused. Dark circles weighed heavily under her green eyes, and her face was stained with tears that would not stop falling.
"I'm sorry, Ezekiel… I'm sorry, Mrs. Solace… Rebecca…"
The words kept repeating from her lips like a broken record, trembling and fragile, as if she was stuck in a loop she could not escape from.
Each apology came out weaker but she did not stop saying them.
"What are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong!"
Ezekiel's voice cut through the air as he shouted at her, frustration and confusion mixing together in his tone.
But Viola did not react. She did not even flinch. It was as if his voice never reached her at all.
That silence irritated him more than anything else.
His fists clenched tightly at his sides.
