The door clicked shut behind him, softer than it should have been.
It wasn't the sound of anger. There was no slam, no echo of fury bouncing off the walls. It was worse. It was quiet. Controlled. Final. Like someone closing the lid on a box they never intended to open again.
The words hung there. Heavy. Painful. Thick in the air, clinging to the furniture, pressing down on the lungs of everyone left behind.
For the first time in this life, Alex didn't put up a joke. Didn't deflect. Didn't run. Didn't fear the future. Didn't shout. He just accepted it. Though bitter, painful, heartbreaking, he welcomed the reality courageously. His shoulders didn't shake. His mouth didn't twist into that crooked smirk he used to hide behind.
Cassen studied his fading back for a long moment. The tension in his shoulders finally eased, just a fraction. The rigid line of his jaw softened, imperceptible to anyone who hadn't been watching him for years. Then he nodded once.
