Evander's POV
We both stood there, holding back, trapped by the walls we had built around our emotions.
Claire's question lingered in the air, suffocating me. I hadn't meant to hurt her, but somehow I always did. My words, my actions— they always seemed to cut deeper than I intended.
"I…" I started, but even as I tried to form a response, the look on her face silenced me again. She was waiting for my response, her vulnerability exposed like a wound I had inflicted on her. It was a look that tore at me, making me feel smaller than ever before.
I took a shaky breath, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. What could I possibly say to make this right? How could I explain that my words weren't meant to push her away but to protect her— from me, from everything I had done and she had been through.
