***
Ethan left my room shortly after sunrise, and I didn’t miss the look in his eyes as he walked away. Yesterday he had been sad and depressed. This morning, however, the rage in his eyes reminded me of the first time I ever saw him, when I was afraid of him.
Once he was gone and I was left alone in my room, the weight of guilt settled like a heavy stone upon my chest, suffocating me with its unbearable heaviness. Thoughts of Ryder's disappearance consumed my mind, twisting and turning like a relentless tempest, tearing at the fragile threads of my composure.
I couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that it was all my fault, that Ryder had vanished into the darkness of the forest because of me. The image of his pained expression, the hurt in his eyes as he turned away from me, haunted me
