The silence that filled the room was deafening, each word I spoke seemed to echo, bouncing off the tall walls and leaving a resounding imprint. The expressions on everyone's faces were unreadable, a mix of shock, betrayal, and disbelief. As much as they were processing what I had just said, so too was I wrestling with admitting it aloud. It felt like ripping open a wound that I had been nursing for far too long.
"You're joking," Thanatos blurted out after a long moment, his voice barely above a whisper. "Right? You have to be joking." The desperation in his voice pierced through me like an arrow.
I shook my head with a heavy heart, "I wish I could be..." My words trailed off as a lump formed in my throat and my mouth suddenly felt parched.
