Rowena gently broke the hug, her head dropping slightly, hiding the vulnerability in her eyes. Her voice was barely a whisper, fragile and tinged with regret, "I am sorry..."
Asher felt a pang in his heart, his gaze softening with tenderness. He gently shook his head, his voice warm yet firm, "You have nothing to be sorry for. Even if you hadn't banished me, we would have still lost—or worse. The truth is, I wasn't strong enough to protect you all, and that's something even I struggled to accept."
Rowena's lips pressed together, her fingers twisting gently into the fabric of her gown, still unable to lift her gaze from the floor. Her voice trembled as she shook her head and admitted softly, "It's not just that, Asher. I was pregnant before you left, yet I never told you—even if I was planning to. You missed Ravina's birth...her naming ceremony... You missed so much because of me."
Her words were filled with heavy remorse, and a painful silence lingered briefly between them.
