My heart ached at the vulnerability in his voice. “Kai, it wasn’t your fault,” I whispered. “I know that.”
I stretched my left hand towards him, offering him the smallest bit of reassurance, hoping he would take it, that he would come closer. But he didn’t move. He stayed rooted to the floor as if an invisible force was holding him back, staring at my outstretched hand as if it might burn him.
And then, he shattered me with three words.
“Let’s break up.”
The words didn't register at first. They hung in the air between us.
My breath caught in my throat. For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. “What?”
His fingers curled into fists. “I said let’s break up,” he repeated. “It’s the only way to keep you safe.”
My outstretched hand fell limply to the bed. All the times he’d hurt me,
