The command cut through the air like a blade. Alarna fell silent, her breath hitching as the violet tendrils of Jian Ci's psychic power coiled around her, ready to strike.
"Four years," Jian Ci scoffed, his voice low and venomous. "You wasted four fucking years of my life."
Alarna shook her head weakly, tears streaking her dirt-stained face. But Jian Ci's rage wasn't only for her, it was for himself. He had believed he was doing the right thing, taking responsibility for her, thinking he had imprinted on her and ruined her chances of finding another partner. He had carried that burden, convinced it was his duty. But it had all been a lie.
The truth was unbearable. The one he should have been grateful to, the one who had suffered in silence, had been right in front of him all along.
