"Absolutely not! Get out!" Carol shouted as you walked into her office, her anger evident. "I don't know who allowed you to come back, but get out!" she repeated, her eyes blazing with fury.

"I'm just here to talk," you said, lifting your hands in submission. This only infuriated her more.

"TALK? YOU WANT TO TALK?!" she screamed, throwing a stack of files at you. She marched towards you and slapped you across the face. "You have some guts showing your face here after what you did! You left me alone at the altar on our wedding day, you asshole!"

"I had to save the planet," you tried to explain.

Carol rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Of course you did. But did you have to vanish for a whole year with no contact?!" Her voice was sharp, her gaze piercing. She crossed her arms and added, "I'm dating someone else now. His name is Nathan." She looked away, and as you began to speak, she interrupted, "The best part about Nathan is that he's normal! No crazy alien rings, no leaving Earth for a year to play hero. I'm done with everything related to the ring, to heroes, to villains, to you!" She pointed at you accusingly. "You set your priorities; now you need to face the consequences."

You stood there, knowing she was right. "I did it to keep you safe. I didn't mean to—"

"But you did!" she cut you off, turning back to you. "You hurt me. And the worst part isn't even that you left me at the altar—it's that you never contacted me. I thought you were dead." She sighed, shaking her head, placing a hand in her forehead. "Leave. We have nothing else to talk about." She sat down at her desk, not wanting to look at you.