Soren's Pov
My eyes widened at her words, the raw plea hitting me hard. I gently took her hands off me, my own fingers trembling slightly as I pried them loose from my shirt. I had to turn away.
I strolled a few slow steps across the room, putting a sliver of distance between us. I wanted to curse at something, at someone, at myself. I wanted to slam my fist against the wall until the plaster cracked or shout out my frustration to the empty, uncaring space. I couldn't even bring myself to look at her. My mind was twisting, a chorus of ugly, familiar voices rising to fill the silence she left.
"She doesn't love you. She never has, and she never will."
"Escapism. That's the only thing you can ever give to her. A distraction from her miserable life. That's all she ever really wanted from you."
"What were you even thinking? You hurt her, you ruined her, and you actually expect her to love you after a year of that pain?"
