He was dumbfounded.
Not just a little confused, not even moderately thrown off—no, he was fully and utterly dumbfounded. He had actually tried to prepare for a comeback. For something to say when Kael inevitably dropped one of those apologies people only use to kill the conversation, the kind that slaps a quick bandage over a gaping wound.
The kind of sorry that left you worse off because it reminded you that opening up in the first place only made things messier.
And yes, he had reasoned with himself that maybe this wasn't exactly that. Maybe it was something else. But in truth? It basically was.
Because what Kael had admitted boiled down to this: yes, he knew these situations were awful, yes, Riley hadn't liked them, and yes, Kael was the root cause.
So now what?
What was he supposed to say to that?
Mouth half-open, brain half-fried, he scrambled for words that refused to line up.
