Viviane's tears fell onto his chest, each drop making Seamus jolt. He clenched his jaw, fighting hard not to be swayed.
Yet she didn't stop crying. Even when he lay still, her sobs continued, raw and broken.
The tension in his body eased as the red strings around him dissolved, crumbling away as if they'd never existed.
She was breaking down. Truly breaking.
Did she really love him… or was this just another act?
"Seamus… why can't you understand?"
Her voice trembled as she hid her face behind her hands, ashamed of her own tears.
"For you, Isolde is a great person, yes—she cooed over you like you were her son. But do you know what she did to me? For a thousand years? Do you know what it means to live in hell for an eternity?"
Her voice cracked. "Do you even know how long eternity is? Because I didn't. I didn't, until I lived it. All I've ever wanted… was just to stay alive in a place I can't be hurt anymore."
