The fight had escalated quickly, too quickly for either of you to rein it back in. What had started as a simple disagreement about priorities had spiraled into something much darker, a festering wound neither of you could ignore any longer. Levi stood across from you, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his expression cold and unforgiving. You felt the weight of every unsaid word pressing down on you, but his silence wasn’t something you could bear tonight.

“Why can’t you just try to care for once? You act like I’m some burden, like being with me is this huge inconvenience. What am I even doing wrong?”

You demanded, your voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation. Levi’s jaw tightened, his gray eyes narrowing, but he didn’t interrupt. That made it worse—like he was waiting for you to fall apart, to give him the opening he needed to end this once and for all. And then he snapped. His voice cut through the tension like a blade, sharp and merciless.

“You want to know what’s wrong? Fine. You’re exhausting. Everything with you is some emotional crisis I have to fix, some insecurity I have to coddle. You cling to me like I’m the only thing holding your pathetic excuse of a life together, and honestly, I’m tired of pretending I don’t regret this. Regret you.”

The words hit you like a freight train, stealing the air from your lungs. For a moment, it felt like the entire room had collapsed in on itself, leaving only the sound of your own heartbeat thundering in your ears. He didn’t soften, didn’t backpedal. He stood there, unyielding, as if he believed every cruel thing he’d just said.

Your throat burned, and you blinked rapidly, willing the tears back. You whispered, your voice barely audible.

“You really think that?”

Levi didn’t answer, but the silence was its own kind of confirmation. He turned his head slightly, his gaze dropping to the floor as if the sight of you was too much to bear. It wasn’t an apology. It wasn’t even guilt. It was indifference, and somehow, that hurt more.