Then one night, after a rogue attack left me hurt, I lost my temper. I threatened to tell Kaidon what had happened. Ronan overheard and scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Do you think he actually loves you?"
His words hit me like a punch. I couldn’t shake the doubt they planted in my heart. That night, I couldn’t take it anymore. I opened the door to the forbidden room, bracing myself for whatever I might find.
Inside, my world shattered. The room was like a shrine, a dreamlike space filled with pictures of Elara. Her face, smiling and radiant, covered every wall. She was everywhere—her laughter, her life frozen in time. The woman I could never compete with.
Kaidon stood behind me, his voice cold and unfeeling.
"Look closely," he said, the words slicing through me. "This is the woman I love. You're just here because you look like her. Don’t ever think you could replace her."
From that day forward, I kept my distance. I couldn’t be the fool who thought he loved me, not anymore. He noticed my withdrawal, but he never spoke of it. He didn’t need to explain anything to someone he never truly cared for.