Amara's POV

I watched him walk away, his back a stiff, defeated line, until he disappeared into the darkness of the night. A cold, empty feeling settled in my stomach, a familiar ache of loneliness that I had tried so hard to outrun. The city lights below me, once a symbol of hope and possibility, now seemed to mock me, a sea of twinkling stars that were just out of my reach. I had pushed him away, a necessary evil, a painful sacrifice for a future that was more uncertain than ever.

I ...