Chapter 39 – I Will Live It However I Want
Time drifted slowly, like a lazy tide under moonlight, as Zane sat in silence, letting the warmth of Fiora's embrace soften the tight knot in his chest. His body had stopped trembling, but something in him still ached. He didn't know how long he'd cried—but for the first time in a long while, he hadn't done it alone.
When the tears finally dried, Fiora pulled away gently. Her eyes studied his face with care, but she didn't speak right away. She gave him space to breathe, to collect whatever fragments of himself were left after the storm.
Zane sniffed and wiped his face with the back of his arm. "I'm fine," he muttered, barely able to meet her gaze. His voice was hoarse and heavy with shame. 'Damn it. I cried like a kid. In front of someone. I've never done that before…'
He felt exposed—like all the armor he had spent years forging around his emotions had cracked under a single moment of kindness.
