The night was dark, too dark for comfort, and the only sound that filled the air was the whisper of the wind as it passed through the trees. Cain stood at the edge of the camp, his eyes scanning the empty space where Selene had vanished into the forest. His hands were shaking, and his heart felt like it was cracking into pieces. He had made a mistake—a huge mistake—and now he had no idea how to fix it.
Eira, standing just behind him, felt the weight of the silence settle between them like a thick fog. The air was suffocating, and she could hardly breathe. Her thoughts were swirling, a chaotic mess of regret and confusion. What had she done? What had they both done? She had never wanted to hurt Selene. Hell, she hadn't even wanted to be in this mess in the first place. But in her desperation, in her own brokenness, she had made a terrible decision—one that had driven the woman Cain loved away.
Cain felt a heavy emptiness inside him as he stared into the night. His mind replayed the moment over and over again—the kiss, Selene's hurt face, her words that still echoed in his ears: I can't do this anymore.
He thought he could handle it. He thought he could be there for both Eira and Selene—maybe he even believed that the bond with Eira still held something in it. But standing here, in the cold, with his love gone and his past crashing down, he realized how far he had fallen. He'd never wanted to hurt Selene. He'd never wanted to make her feel like she was just a placeholder for Eira.
And now it was too late. He had lost her.
"Selene…" His voice was a whisper, fragile and full of pain. He didn't know if she could hear him, but it didn't matter. The words hung in the air, pointless, like an apology he couldn't give.
Eira stepped forward, her movements slow, unsure of how to approach him. She had thought that Cain's anger and rejection would be her punishment, but she hadn't expected the guilt to settle so heavily in her chest.
"I'm sorry, Cain," Eira said quietly, her voice raw. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
Cain didn't turn to face her. He couldn't. He had nothing to say to her. His heart ached, and every time he looked at her, it reminded him of the betrayal he had just witnessed. She had kissed him. She had pushed him into something that was never meant to be.
"I should've known better," Cain murmured, his words barely audible. "I should've stayed away from you..."
Eira felt the sting of Cain's words. He had never said anything like that before. She had been close to him, so close, and yet now, she realized that her actions had pushed him away. She wanted to explain, to fix everything, but she knew there was no easy way to take back what had happened.
"I... I didn't want to hurt you, Cain," Eira said, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked them away, but they kept coming, each drop a reminder of how everything had gone wrong. "I was selfish. I was just... lost, and I thought if I could make you feel what I was feeling, maybe it would make everything better. But I see now I've only made it worse."
Cain finally turned to her, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and exhaustion. "I loved you, Eira. But you left. You chose to walk away from me without a word. And now you want to come back and pretend everything's okay?" He shook his head, his voice breaking. "I can't... I can't do this anymore."
Eira wanted to protest, wanted to scream that it wasn't like that, that she hadn't meant for things to unfold the way they had. But she knew it wouldn't make a difference. The damage was done, and there was no undoing it.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her heart heavy in her chest.
Meanwhile, Selene ran. She didn't know where she was going, didn't care. All she could feel was the pain of betrayal and the confusion that was slowly consuming her. She had seen it all—the kiss, Cain's hesitation, and the look in his eyes when he pulled away from her. She had always known there were parts of Cain's past that haunted him, but she never expected this. She had thought that when he told her he loved her, it was enough. She had thought that she could trust him.
But now, she wasn't so sure.
The darkness of the forest wrapped around her like a comforting embrace. The trees whispered their secrets, and the air felt cool against her flushed skin. She could hear her own heart pounding, each beat a reminder that her world had just shattered. She didn't know where she was running to, only that she couldn't stay there, couldn't stay in the place where Cain had broken her heart.
Her thoughts spiraled. How could he do this? How could he kiss her like that?
As she stumbled over a rock, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. But she didn't care. It was nothing compared to the pain of her broken heart. She sank to the ground, tears blurring her vision as she gasped for air.
I thought I was enough for him.
Back at the camp, the brothers noticed the absence of both Cain and Selene. They exchanged worried glances, wondering where their family members had gone. They had never seen Cain so distant, so broken. His usual strong, unshakable nature seemed to have crumbled, and now the brothers were left wondering if they had any part in what had happened.
"You think she's okay?" Talen asked, his voice quiet but full of concern.
"I don't know," Leo replied, his brow furrowed. "But Cain's been through a lot. We all have. He needs time, but so does Selene. She can't just walk away like this."
"What if she's... what if she's gone?" Eren asked hesitantly. His voice cracked with the thought, a fear he couldn't hide.
"She won't be gone," Leo said firmly. "We'll find her. But right now, we have to give Cain some space. He needs to deal with this on his own."
But as the brothers continued their quiet conversation, Cain's absence felt like a heavy weight on their shoulders, and the tension in the air thickened. No one knew how to help. No one knew how to fix this mess.
Cain sat alone by the fire, staring at the embers that were slowly dying out. He didn't care. The fire was fading, just like his hope. He felt the loneliness creeping in, and for the first time in years, he allowed himself to feel vulnerable. He had let his emotions drive him to do something he never should have—kiss Eira. And now, it was too late. Selene was gone.
His mind kept replaying their last moments together—the way her eyes had filled with tears, how she had pulled away from him with so much hurt in her heart. His throat tightened, the weight of guilt nearly suffocating him.
I never wanted to hurt her. I love her.
But those words felt meaningless now. The woman he loved was out there somewhere, broken by his own actions. And he couldn't fix it. Not now, not like this.
Cain closed his eyes, allowing the silence to settle around him. He didn't know what to do anymore. All he knew was that he couldn't lose her.