"Are you pouting?" Malvis asked.
"I'm pouting," Morin confirmed, without shame.
"Sorry."
"Don't care."
"Morin."
The way Malvis said his name—soft, kind—it felt surprisingly nice.
Morin wasn't ready to admit that, though.
It hadn't even been a month since his heartbreak.
He couldn't just flip a switch and move on.
His Uncle Gabriel still lingered in his heart.
But... he understood now what his mother had meant.
He'd made a promise to himself that he'd never bother Uncle Gabriel again.
As for Uncle Lysander, Morin wanted to apologize, but he knew seeing him would only cause more pain.
So he stayed away from them.
Letting things fade out quietly seemed like the best option.
Suddenly, a deep loneliness swept over him.
He was just a distraction back home—a source of noise, not value.
He'd embarrassed his family, burdened another, and been sent away to study.
And if no one ever needed him again—if even his family gave up on him—what would happen to him then?
