Gabriel's POV
Her words hit me harder than I wanted them to. I didn't step back but I loosened my grip just enough, as I held my ground.
"You vanished," I said, my voice quieter now as the bitterness crept in, "You left nothing behind for me. No note. No call. I spent months chasing leads and lies and dead ends. I listened to strangers tell me where you slept. I listened to enemies say that you were thriving. I heard your name like a rumor, but I never heard it from you, never once from you."
She looked away from me before she spoke again, her eyes catching on the watchtower where the bell hung dark and heavy, before flicking back to me.
"I needed to breathe, Gabe. I needed to hear my own thoughts without you standing over me trying to tell me what to think."
"I would've
