No. That's wrong. It was me who failed.
Gabrant was screaming inside his heart. It had been him who had driven her spirit into a corner. He had been the one who failed as a husband, as a father. He had done nothing. He had understood nothing.
"You never came to me, General," Ashe said softly. "That alone proves my own failure. It was only natural. What I did to you, and to Dominic, was unforgivable. By the time I finally understood, it was already too late. And so… I gave up."
A faint, bitter line deepened at the corners of her mouth. In that moment she suddenly looked her age—no, even older—utterly exhausted.
And then, something fell into place within Gabrant.
He had loved her. That was the truth. It was because he had loved her that he had felt such hatred, such despair. Hatred was only love turned inside out. The stronger his hatred had been, the deeper his love truly was. Even now.
Before he knew it, his mouth was moving on its own and his heart spilling out in words.
