Chapter 95

I

stood there, my heart pounding as I faced Casma, the woman who had always been my anchor. The weight of my past mistakes pressed down on me, but I couldn’t let her slip away again. “Casma, please… put your last penny on me. I swear you’ll never regret it,” I said, my voice trembling with a mix of desperation and hope.

She looked at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You don’t understand, do you? Every time I let you back in, you break me a little more. I can’t keep doing this.” Her words sliced through me, each one a reminder of the pain I had caused.

I took a step closer, my heart aching at the sight of her tears. “I never wanted to hurt you. I was lost, and I thought I could handle it alone. But I can’t. Not without you,” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Casma turned away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “It’s not that simple. You can’t just come back and expect everything to be okay. I’m scared, Ruine. Scared of what you’ll do next.” Her vulnerab