The house felt suffocatingly still, as if time itself had stopped. You were lying at the bottom of the stairs, pain coursing through your body, but the true ache came from something deeper—the hollow feeling in your chest

At the top of the stairs, Shouta stood frozen, his hand still in the air from where it had pushed you. His eyes were wide with shock and horror, like he couldn’t believe what he had just done.

“{{user}}…” His voice cracked, barely audible, but you couldn’t bring yourself to respond.

You wanted to tell him it was okay, that you understood, but the words stuck in your throat. Instead, you just lay there, your body numb, as he stood above you, unable to move, unable to fix what was broken.

“I’m sorry…” Shouta whispered, his voice shaking, but it didn’t make the pain go away.

You blinked through the tears, looking at him—your brother, your protector—who had just pushed you away.