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~Ethan's POV
Elena never came back to me. Just like that, my world crumbled.
I snapped into the present with a sharp breath, like I had been dragged out of deep water. My chest rose too fast. My hands were fists, clenched so tight my nails cut into my palms, though I barely noticed the pain. The room felt wrong, too small, and too close. Like the walls were leaning in, waiting.
"I killed her," I said out loud. My voice sounded empty. Strange. "I killed her."
The words sat heavy in the air.
She had loved me when I gave her nothing good in return. When I was cruel. When I was cold. When I was something most people would run from. She saw me clearly and still chose me. And I repaid that choice with blood on my hands.
After that, nothing mattered.
The throne felt useless. The palace felt like a grave. My name tasted bitter every time I thought of it. I left power behind. I left loyalty. I left a kingdom that once bowed when I entered a room.
I ran.
