(Siena’s POV)
His non-answer shouldn’t sting. Not after everything.
Not after years of rejection, years of being the placeholder he tolerated because the Moon Goddess said so.
And yet, it does.
The words—I want to make amends—echo in my mind like a cruel melody, hollow and weightless. They’re not the words I asked for. They’re not the words I needed. If Raiden had looked me in the eye and said, No, I don’t love you, at least it would’ve been honest.
At least I would’ve known where I stand.
But this? This vague, careful line he’s walking, this sudden attentiveness, these small, thoughtful gestures—it’s throwing me off balance.
I see it every day now in the way he’s suddenly so considerate during our preparations for the next stage of the unity challenge.
