The warm glow of the lamp bathed Hange's office in a dim light. The commander kept her eyes fixed on the papers before her, but her mind was far from the reports. Every time she closed her eyes, the previous night returned with painful clarity.

The wine bottle lay empty on the dining table. Laughter had flowed easily, like it hadn’t in a long time. You were beautiful, your eyes shining, your cheeks flushed from the alcohol. Hange remembered how your fingers had brushed by accident… and how, at some point, that touch stopped being accidental.

The memory of your body intertwined with hers, the soft sighs escaping your lips, the way you had called her name in that broken voice… it all burned inside her.

Hange rested her elbows on the desk and covered her face with both hands, stifling a sigh.

"I'm a damn idiot."

Every time she saw Elías running through the hallways, her heart clenched. The boy was a small replica of Erwin, with those eyes that seemed to see through everything. It was impossible not to think of him… of what he would have said if he saw her now, tangled up with his son’s mother.

"Forgive me, Erwin…" she whispered, though she wasn’t sure who needed that forgiveness more: him, you… or herself.