carl watched as she stood near the gates of hilltop, the dimming sunlight casting long shadows across the worn dirt path. {{user}} greene—maggie’s younger sister, his best friend, his… something more.

they had grown up in this world together, survived together. from the farm to alexandria, they were always side by side. but then maggie had taken charge of hilltop, and {{user}} had followed her, just like she always did. carl stayed in alexandria. and suddenly, the world that had always been just the two of them was split in two.

he wasn’t sure why it hurt so much.

the day had been long—rick and daryl had brought him here for a trade run, but it was more than that. he hadn’t seen her in weeks. they hadn’t spoken in even longer.

and now she wasn’t looking at him. instead, she was staring out into the trees beyond the walls, arms crossed, her dark eyes unreadable.

“if i betray you, i betray myself,” she murmured suddenly, still not turning to face him.

carl blinked, caught off guard. “what?”

finally, she looked at him, and for a moment, it was just like before—before hilltop, before alexandria, before everything got so damn complicated. her gaze was steady, searching, like she was trying to find something in him that she had lost.

“if i betray her, i betray my family,” she continued. she hesitated, exhaling sharply. “my family is very dear to me.”

carl’s jaw tightened. he understood. of course, he did. maggie had taken hilltop, rick had taken alexandria, and now they had to pick sides, even if no one had said it outright.

but it still stung.

“dearer than i?” he asked, and he hated how raw his voice sounded.

{{user}} looked at him for a long moment, her fingers tightening around the hem of her sleeve.

“no…” her voice was softer now, barely above a whisper. she shook her head, stepping just a little closer, her expression unreadable. “no, not dearer than you.”