"Irene, I can explain..." Ilyan's words came out rushed, as if almost desperate to erase the existence of the misunderstanding before it could creep in between them. But too bad. Her clenched fist gave away that the misunderstanding had already crept in.
She held her palm up in refusal, taking a step backward. The stinging hurt of his betrayal choked her, dominating her to regret every single moment that she had spent with him.
"You were a friend, I thought," a peal of painful laughter escaped her lips as she pulled herself another step back, "how foolish of me."
"I am," Ilyan feebly said, his voice burdened under the weight of her unshed tears.
"Do you remember what you had promised me that night? You had promised to protect every single thing that I shared with you that night…" Her disappointed voice trailed off, leaving her despair bare in front of him.
