Her voice felt like sunlight passing through clouds, kind and steady and patient.
Gabriel's breath trembled, and the corners of his eyes turned faintly red. He nodded slowly, breaking the hug with the smallest, shaky exhale. His wings, usually so composed and elegantly folded, drooped just a little.
"I know…" he murmured, blinking rapidly as if trying to clear the sting behind his eyes. "I know…"
He tried to smile, tried to pull himself together, but the sadness still softened his expression.
Alina placed a comforting hand on his arm, her eyes warm with genuine care. "You're not alone, Gabriel. And you're stronger than you think."
He nodded again, swallowing down everything he wasn't saying, and whispered, "Thank you."
Outside the window, light shifted across the sky, brushing his feathers with a faint glow. For a brief moment he looked almost childlike, an angel who just needed someone to remind him the world wasn't ending.
