Prologue

In a moment that defied all comprehension, he stood there, disbelief etched on his face. He had been deceived all along, and the perpetrator of this treachery was none other than her—Eldora. How could she gaze at him with eyes that seemed to shift blame away from her, as if she bore no responsibility for the turmoil they found themselves in? The weight of this wretched situation threatened to engulf him, and he wondered what she expected of him—to remain the clown he had pretended to be for far too long.

Restless, he paced back and forth, the silence between them becoming unbearable. Eldora, unable to withstand the weight of his silence any longer, endeavored to elicit a response, "Why are you doing this to me? Why won't you believe me? If I hadn't done what I did, I would've lost you forever, Al! Can't you see that? Why are you just ignoring my side of the story?"

Frustration overwhelmed him, and he ran his hand through his disheveled hair, exclaiming, "Tormenting you? Seriously?! You, who betrayed me? How could you? I've always been there for you, believed in you, and made everything about your happiness! And now, you're saying I complicated things?!" His voice erupted like a storm, "Dora, you manipulated my very being, all the while keeping me ensnared in your web! And now you wish for me to hear you out and embrace you as if nothing had happened?!"

Their bodies seemed to cling together, but the once-warm gaze that had cherished her like the sun had turned into a cold, violet stare, brimming with resentment and an inability to forgive. "I abandoned my people, my empire—those you knew held great importance to me—in pursuit of the one thing I had never possessed: a parent. Your father tore him away from me, yet you never seemed to contemplate the depth of this deprivation! All that, fueled by the hope planted within me by you and your father! And now, look at us, estranged from everything! Look at me, Dora! Have I achieved anything?"

Eldora's tears cascaded like a relentless storm, but this time, he remained impervious to her anguish. She knew all too well that her actions, regardless of her motives or manipulation, had been unforgivable. Even though she had been ensnared in a web of deceit, she had wronged him, the person she cherished above all else. The love they once held dear seemed destined to unravel, leaving both of them bereft.

With tearful eyes, she blinked, her voice faltering, "I'm sorry... I am so sorry," she struggled to articulate, her throat constricted with pain. "Al... Alaric, I simply yearned to be with you. I couldn't bear the thought of a life without you. I am so," her voice trembled, "sorry..."

The walls he had erected around his heart remained steadfast, unmoved by her tear-streaked face and sorrowful apologies. The fortress of trust they had built together had crumbled under the weight of her transgressions, leaving nothing but a wasteland of shattered dreams. Drawing in one last breath of her scent, the one that once intoxicated him, he made a solemn declaration, "I will have Charles pack my belongings. Do not call me again..."

As he distanced himself, the finality of his decision weighed heavily on her. She watched in silence as he approached the door, his parting words hanging heavily in the air, "Goodbye, Eldora..." And with the resounding crash of the closing door, her world crumbled around her, leaving her alone on the cold, unforgiving floor.