"I did it to save our lives! Why can't you see that?" Karen cried, her voice breaking under the weight of guilt and desperation.
"No!" John shouted, his voice sharp with fury and heartbreak. "You did it for yourself!" His eyes were burning now, not with anger alone, but with betrayal. "Take me back to the prison," he said, turning to the guards, voice suddenly quiet, drained. "The air there is better."
The throne room went still. Even the guards hesitated.
King Eglon gave a small wave of his hand, casual yet cruel, like brushing away dust.
The guards stepped forward, and John didn't resist. His eyes never met Karen's again, but hers clung to him, desperate, pleading, breaking.
She watched until his silhouette disappeared behind the heavy doors. Her lips trembled.
"I did it for the team..." she whispered.
"I did it for us..."
Over and over again, like a broken charm meant to heal a wound too deep to reach. But even she didn't believe it anymore.
