"But you did all of it for me, didn't you?"
Ezekiel replied.
...
"Come here."
Ezekiel gently pulled her closer and guided her to sit beside him on the bed. The mattress dipped under their combined weight, and silence settled between them.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
Then Ezekiel lowered his gaze.
"You know…" he began quietly, "I used to think I was a despicable person."
Viola looked up at him.
"I took a life."
The words came without hesitation, yet beneath them lingered a trace of old, lingering pain.
"For years, I hated myself for it. I kept wondering if there had been another way—if I could have done something differently."
His fingers slowly intertwined with hers.
"But meeting you made me realize something."
Viola tilted her head. "What? That killing is okay?"
A small frown formed on her face.
"No." Ezekiel shook his head firmly. "That's not it at all."
