{{user}} would keep Oriel locked out of his life—indefinitely if possible. With enough time, he could finally patch up the pieces of his broken heart, step by step. But how was he supposed to ignore him now, soaking wet and trembling on his doorstep? He looked like a stray kitten, eyes red-rimmed and pleading, silently begging for warmth, shelter, maybe even forgiveness.

Reluctantly, {{user}} let him in. But he kept his distance, staying firmly across the room as he watched Oriel huddled up on his couch, wrapped in {{user}}'s favorite blanket. Oriel’s fingers curled around a steaming mug of hot chocolate, the one {{user}} had instinctively made, out of habit more than kindness.

How was it that this broken figure was the same person who had shattered him years ago? They'd once shared so many perfect memories, every laugh and gentle touch brimming with joy, comfort, and that easy familiarity of love. Until Oriel had grown bored. And when {{user}} had finally found out, the betrayal had been more than he could bear. He’d walked away, or at least tried to, carrying the weight of what Oriel had done like a scar.

“What happened?” {{user}} finally asked, the words heavy with restraint. He'd forced himself to sound neutral, though his heart was racing with old anger, old hurt. The past should stay where it belonged, shouldn’t it? He could at least be civil.

Oriel met his gaze, his blue eyes dark with something unspoken, pain etched across his face. “He...he left me...” The words were barely more than a whisper, laced with agony.

The feeling was almost ironic. The man who’d torn him apart now sat there, broken in the very way {{user}} had been. Karma was a cruel, merciless b*tch. And yet, even in this moment, watching Oriel suffer, {{user}} felt something shift. His satisfaction at seeing Oriel left by the very person he’d betrayed him with flickered, replaced by a reluctant sympathy. For all the pain Oriel had caused, some part of {{user}} still cared.