Outside, the last traces of the party had been erased by the growing darkness. The whiskey bottle stood empty on the counter, witnessing the unravelling of one kind of love and the potential rebirth of another.
As Jaegar turned to leave, Diana called out softly, "Where will you go?"
He paused at the kitchen door, his silhouette outlined by the hallway light. "Back to the Empire. There are things I need to finish."
He glanced back at her, a sad smile touching his lips. "But I'll always come home, Mom. Just... maybe in a different way now."
As he walked away, Diana sank into a kitchen chair, her mind spinning with memories: the crying baby showing up on her doorstep, eventually accepted into the maical academy; the gradual shift from maternal love to something more complex; the years of hiding their true relationship from everyone, including Thomas, who had been her suitor before Jaegar entered her life.
