"Just leave me here," Alessandro repeated, his voice weak, his eyes filled with a weary resignation. "You've done enough."
His words were like a physical blow, a sharp, stinging reminder of the chasm that now separated us. I looked at him, my heart aching, my mind filled with a desperate denial.
"I can't," I said, my voice trembling, tears streaming down my face. "I won't leave you here."
"Why?" he asked, his voice laced with a bitter cynicism. "Why bother? You've already destroyed everything. What more do you want?"
"I want to help you," I said, my voice breaking. "I want to make things right."
He laughed, a harsh, bitter sound that echoed through the cave. "Make things right?" he scoffed. "There's nothing you can do to make things right, Julia. You've broken my trust, you've shatter
