Chapter Ninety Six

Silence followed Mallucia's departure as they both tried to process everything that had just happened. The realization that Sinjin had slept with Mallucia for revenge was unsettling to Eds, but she was relieved it wasn’t driven by genuine affection for Mallucia.

Now that Sinjin had bid his final goodbye to Mallucia, he felt it was time to apologize to Eds for everything he had put her through. He understood if she found it too difficult to forgive him because he struggled to forgive himself.

"Edselyn, I'm sorry," he said. "I won’t ask for your forgiveness because I don’t deserve it, and I won’t offer excuses. I didn’t mean to hurt you. If you hadn’t found us, I would have told you myself."

"I forgive you, Sinjin," Eds replied.

"Really? Why?" Sinjin asked, surprised.

"Life is too short to hold grudges," Eds shrugged. "When I heard about your accident, I blamed myself for pushing you away. I should have helped you work through your feelings because that’s what friends do."

"You were rig