Ace slumped onto the bench, his back pressed against the very spot where his blood had stained the stone. He didn't try to hide this time.
He broke down.
Real, gut wrenching sobs tore from his throat, and hot tears streamed down his cheeks.
Zara's breath caught in her throat. Seeing him like this—raw, unraveling—made her chest ache. Tears welled in her eyes before she could even stop them.
"Ace..." His name slipped from her lips, quiet, unsure.
He'd always been unshakable. Cold. A fortress of stone. Yet here he was, collapsing right in front of her.
Whatever had broken through that armor, it must have been unbearable.
Words felt useless. He wouldn't want her pity. He wouldn't even know what to do with sympathy. So she said nothing. Just sat beside him and offered him her shoulder—like he had done for her so many times before.
