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Should’ve read Saoirse one more bedtime story.Held her until she fell asleep.

Should’ve stayed.

Should’ve fought.

Instead, I left like I had all the time in the world.

Like there would always be another morning.

Another kiss.

Another goodnight.

There isn’t.

There never was.

And now it’s too late.

Too late for promises.

Too late for prayers.

Too late for anything but the slow, quiet unraveling of everything I ever was.

There’s no escaping this pit.

No climbing free.

No hand reaching down to pull me back into the light.

Aoife’s waiting for something.

An answer.A surrender.Maybe even my final breath.

And deep down, in the part of me that's already given up, I think I’m ready to let her have it.

I let my head drop back against the stone, the cold biting into my skull like a silent brand.The darkness swells against my skin, thick and suffocating, seeping into my bones until even breathing feels borrowed.

Maybe this is how it ends.

Not with a scream.

Not with a fight.

Just a slow, silent vanishing.

Swallowed whole by the dark.

Aoife

Tonight changes everything.I tell myself that over and over as I make my way to Eamon’s office, my pulse steady, my steps even.I don’t let myself hesitate.I can’t afford to.

Eamon glances up when I enter, his brows lifting slightly before a slow smile tugs at his lips like he wasn’t expecting me but is damn glad I’m here.“Well, this is a surprise.”His expression softens."What brings you to me,mo chroí?"he asks.

I meet his gaze head-on."Tonight’s the night it ends with Ruairi," I say.

He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest."You’ve decided to let him go, then?"he asks, his tone unreadable.