"Alice, no one told me to say this," Minerva said softly. "I just… I've come to realize that our paths were never truly aligned. Or maybe they were once, but not anymore, and not in the way I thought they were." Her voice was calm, almost numb, as though she had already let go.
"Are you… cutting ties with me?" Alice nearly shrieked. She forced the sound back down her throat, but her eyes widened in raw disbelief.
Minerva did not try to deny it. She truly intended to cut all ties with Alice and walk her own path, far away from the toxicity she had finally learned to recognize. Slowly, she nodded, meeting Alice's gaze head-on, her expression steady and resolute.
Seeing this, Rafael let out a faint smirk. Pride welled in his chest. His sister had learned to walk away, not only from a toxic friend, but earlier, from Alexis as well, abandoning him without a backward glance once she had seen his true colors.
