Arabella opened her mouth and as words were about to leave her throat, it disappeared. She felt like the mermaid who had sold her voice, unable to say a thing even though her heart wished to and the more time it stretched between them felt more unbearable.
"It's not your fault," Cassius's firm words slipped from his throat. His voice was hoarse, his tone was bleak but the firmness in his words were unshakable.
She turned to him, her heart stirred as emotions swirled inside her. Blankly she blinked and he held her closer, placing one hand on her waist and the other holding her elbow.
He lowed his voice and settled his nose on the crown of her head, "It was not your fault. You didn't cause this to happen and you owe me nothing short of apology."
Arabella felt choked, as if a lump had grown large in her throat that caused for tears to threaten falling from her eyes. But how could she cry when she wasn't the one most affected? It was far too shameful of her.
