Clara's POV
I lay in bed for what felt like hours, thoughts circling Jason, guilt gnawing at me. He was the enemy—I knew that, I told myself that—but still… why did it feel as if I had known him for thousands of years? Like he was family, like he belonged to some forgotten piece of me.
The door clicked open. My breath caught as Ciel stepped in. Our eyes met—his were red, hollow, broken. He looked away almost instantly, as if the weight of my gaze was too much to bear. Without a word, he changed into a robe, movements slow, deliberate, exhausted. Then he crossed the room and settled onto the bed beside me.
Silence wrapped around us, heavy and suffocating. At last, he whispered into the dark, "Today was a long and exhausting day, my love. Let's rest for now." His eyes fluttered shut, but the emptiness in his voice carved into me.
