Theodore hesitated for a moment before nodding.
As he passed Aveline, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring pat before following Theron out of the hall.
The room grew quiet once they left.
Aveline remained seated. Her head slowly lowered again, her gaze fixed on her hands resting in her lap. Her fingers were tightly interlocked. She stared at them without really seeing them.
Something inside her had gone still. She felt strangely empty, as if the fight inside her had simply… ended.
For the first time in years, she stopped thinking about escape… about hope.
She simply sat there, resigned.
And… quietly broken.
-----
Theodore closed the door behind him.
For a moment he simply stood there, staring around the study.
A wave of nostalgia washed over him so suddenly that it almost made him forget why he had come.
