Vincent's heart clenched so violently it felt like someone had driven a blade straight through his chest. Regret crashed over him in suffocating waves.
He hated himself so much in that moment he could barely breathe.
Why had he acted so selfishly? Why had he insisted on handling things that way?
It was all his fault.
Vincent's trembling fingers flew across the communicator screen.
Vincent: [Is Rory still crying? I…]
Before he could even send the message, Yuel's next one appeared in the group chat.
Yuel: [Rory is furious, yet even now, she's still thinking about the three of you.]
Yuel: [She couldn't bear to sever your beast marks, and she didn't truly want to punish you either.]
Yuel: [So she swallowed all the hurt herself.]
Yuel: [Tell me honestly—after everything she's done for you, do you really think your behavior today was worthy of her?]
Vincent's vision blurred instantly. Even after being hurt this badly, Rory was still protecting them. Still thinking about them.
