Claire's POV
I couldn't stop myself. Seeing Evander's lonely and lifeless state tore at my heart in ways I couldn't describe. It was as if he had no real desire to live anymore and was just barely holding on by a fragile thread.
I had always seen him as a cruel, cold man— someone who could never be vulnerable. But now, watching him like this, I saw another side of him. A side so broken, so raw, that it pulled me closer despite all the walls I had built around my heart. Before I knew it, I had wrapped my arms around him.
This hug wasn't just for him— it was for me too. Somehow, I felt the weight of his pain mingling with my own, and it was unbearable. I had spent so long convincing myself that I hated him and that I didn't need him. But in this moment, it became clear— I needed him just as much as he might need me.
