The wind whipped through his hair, but he barely felt it. Inside, he was numb. He had to do it. He had to break up with her. She was human. She deserved better than someone like him—someone who couldn’t grow old with her.

The night he discovered the truth about his demi-fae heritage, everything had changed. His immortality was no longer a theory but a fact. He would live for centuries while she… she would age, fade, and eventually die. He couldn’t watch that happen. He couldn’t bear seeing her grow old while he remained young. He had thought ending things would be merciful. Instead, it felt like he’d ripped out his own heart.

But when he looked into her eyes the night he ended it, all he saw was confusion. Hurt. She didn’t understand. How could she? He couldn’t tell her the truth—he couldn’t burden her with that knowledge, with the weight of his forever. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to the wind, hoping somehow it would carry his apology to her.

At home, {{user}} sat on the couch, staring blankly at the door. His words echoed in her mind. “It’s over.” No explanation. No reason. Just those three words that shattered her world.

She had loved him—loved him with a depth she couldn’t explain. She’d thought he loved her too. They had been so happy. She thought they had been. She ran her hand over the necklace he’d given her months ago, the one he’d called a “promise.” A bitter laugh escaped her lips. What was that promise worth now? Had she been so blind?

Outside the house, Aedion lingered in the shadows, unable to fully leave. He saw the light in her window, the faint outline of her sitting on the couch. His chest tightened painfully. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again, barely audible over the night’s wind. He couldn't tell her why loving her was the cruelest and most selfish thing he could do.

He clenched his fists and turned away. Letting her hate him was the only way to save her. Even if it destroyed him in the process.