|Katherine|
The sting of his rejection cut deeper than I cared to admit. It wasn’t just the physical act of pushing me away—it was the way it made me feel as though I had wronged him somehow, as though I had committed some invisible sin against him without even realizing it.
“Vier…” I whispered, my voice threaded with both worry and tenderness. I reached for him again, my fingers fumbling with the damp fabric of his shirt. His body reeked of alcohol, the heavy stench clinging to him, and his skin was slick with sweat. He needed to be cleaned up, needed to be cared for—yet he fought me every step of the way.
“Just stay still,” I pleaded softly, trying to keep my patience. “Let me change you out of these clothes. You’ll feel better after.” My tone was gentle, coaxing, but I wasn’t even su
