[Music recommendation: Alexey Kosenko - Melancholy]
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Back in the bedroom, Gavriel silently carried Aliana toward the bed.
Stopping by the bedside, he gently lowered them and laid Aliana down. When he pulled away slightly, he paused only because she hadn't loosened her grip around his neck.
He pulled back just enough to finally see her face. Her eyes remained cast downward, her lashes still damp from her earlier tears, and the tip of her nose was red.
Placing one hand at the side of her head, he lifted the other to stroke her cheek, wiping away the faint traces of moisture beneath her eyes.
"Want to say something?" he asked in a low voice.
She continued to stare down, slowly shaking her head.
Watching her refuse to respond or even look at him made him release a soft sigh.
"Ana?" He called her name so softly this time, carrying a tender gentleness she had never heard from him before. "Look at me."
