A pregnant silence stretched through the speaker for a long while and the stillness on the line was so loud that Aziel felt completely frozen in place after hearing her voice. The courage that had taken him a while to gather seemed to evaporate the moment her voice reached his ears, leaving him struggling to find the right words to begin with.
"Why are you calling me?" Valeria asked quietly, her tone was without a trace of anger yet guarded, distant, and deeply tired.
Aziel closed his eyes, taking a steady breath before responding. "Because I... I know you probably want nothing to do with me after everything that happened, Valeria and… I know I was wrong. At the time, I was too arrogant and consumed by my own bitter motives to care, but I am deeply sorry for my actions, and I won't stand here trying to make excuses for myself."
