"I want us to go back to being strangers,"
Eric's words struck Akari like a thunderclap, rattling her to her very core. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as her mind struggled to process what she had just heard.
Never, not even in her worst nightmares, had she imagined Eric uttering such devastating words.
The very thought of being reduced to nothing more than a stranger in his eyes was unbearable. It felt as though the ground beneath her had given way, sending her plummeting into an abyss with no way to stop her fall.
Her chest tightened, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps. A hollow pain spread through her, growing heavier with every passing second.
Was this really happening? Was Eric truly casting her aside? The possibility alone was enough to suffocate her.
'Now that can't be good,' Eric thought, a flicker of unease creeping in as he watched Akari's reaction.
