(Nicholas)
I rode away from Rivendale with a heavy heart, the castle shrinking in the distance until it was nothing more than a speck.
The silence around me was deafening, broken only by the sound of my horse's hooves against the dirt path.
I kept my eyes on the horizon, willing myself not to look back. What would be the point? Everything I'd left behind was no longer mine to hold onto. It was Isabella's now, and I had no place there.
By the time I reached my cabin in Cyrathis, the sun had set. I dismounted and led my horse to the stable, moving on autopilot as I fed and watered him.
My mind replayed the events at the castle, every word, every look, every emotion. Isabella's voice remained in my head, sharp and cold: "I'll never forgive you. I hate you for what you did to me."
I deserved it. Every word. I had hurt her, lied to her, and ruined whatever chance we might have had.
