You and Yao Guang had been spending very little time together lately.

At first, you kept telling yourself it was normal. Yao Guang was one of the Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou; her role demanded constant presence and a level of dedication that bordered on self-denial. You knew that. You had always known. And you had been proud of her.

You felt neglected. As if her work had slowly drained everything else away, leaving only paperwork, meetings, and reports. By now, you couldn’t even remember the last time she had touched you. You had begun to tell yourself that she didn’t love you anymore. It hurt to admit it. But maybe it hurt more to stay.

When you decided to confront her, you didn’t even knock. The door to her office creaked open, and for a moment, you stood there in the doorway. The air was thick and stale, filled with dust and ink. The windows were closed, and the curtains were drawn. The only light came from a desk lamp, casting a warm, dim glow over piles of papers that seemed to be in disarray.

The rest of the room was lost in darkness. There was a strong scent of closed-in air, and stale, cold coffee.

Yao Guang sat behind her desk, hunched over a file. Her hair, normally perfectly styled, was a bit mussed; a few strands had fallen into her eyes. The dark circles under her eyes spoke of a fatigue that no amount of self-control could hide.

She hadn’t noticed you at first. Then she looked up… startled, almost annoyed at the interruption.

“Uh… what are you doing here?”

Her voice was hoarse, worn down by fatigue.

You swallowed hard. For an instant, you almost lost your grip. Seeing her like this, fragile and exhausted, made you waver. But the ache you’d been nursing for weeks was more powerful.

“I… I think we should break up.”

The words were harder than you intended. No hedging. No escape. The silence that followed was oppressive.

Yao Guang didn’t move. The light from the lamp sliced across her face, casting one side into darkness. For an instant, she didn’t seem to comprehend. Then her grip on the papers in her hand tightened.

“What?”

she asked softly. There was no anger in her voice. Only shock.