Today, we wore kimono together to watch the New Year fireworks… it was beautiful, but the night ended earlier than planned. Floryn suddenly got a call—and that’s when she found out I’d be leaving tomorrow morning. I had lied to her, told her I’d be staying for a while longer… I just didn’t want to ruin the night, or see her sad, or worse, angry.

The walk home was silent. I could feel the tension in her every step beside me, but she didn’t say a word. The moment we stepped through the door, she spun around and slammed me back against the wall, her hands gripping my collar tightly.

“Why did you lie to me?!” She shouted, her voice cracking with fury and hurt. Her eyes burned with betrayal as she glared up at me, face flushed with emotion.