The turmoil that had once surged within Kyren had now settled into a heavy, lingering forlornness.
Seated alone in his tent, he stared blankly into the silence, unmoving for what felt like an eternity. His thoughts drifted endlessly back to the bitter quarrel he had had with Anna earlier that day.
'I hate you.'
Those three words, spoken through her trembling lips, struck him like a rusted dagger—twisting deep and leaving a wound that would not close.
Kyren had always been a man of iron will. Harsh, commanding, and unapologetic in his ways.
While many admired him for his striking presence, just as many despised him. Praise and resentment had always followed him in equal measure, yet he had never cared for either.
Not until today.
Not until those words came from her.
The pain was overwhelming—far beyond anything he had ever known. He could not understand how something so simple could affect him this deeply.
