Her eyes were shadowed down, hinting at sleepless nights. "Yeah… With everything that's happened, I don't think I can." Her lips trembled almost imperceptibly, and Samuel could tell she was fighting back her tears, He recognized that look... the desperate struggle and attempts to maintain composure when your world felt like it was crumbling. He had worn that expression himself too many times...
"Veora," Samuel exclaimed...his voice softer now, infused with a deep empathy he rarely showed towards anyone. He walked slowly towards her. "It's okay to cry." The simple words, spoken with genuine understanding, seemed to pierce through her carefully constructed emotional defenses...
She completely broke down. A choked sob escaped her lips, and then she lunged forward...hugging Samuel tightly, her body shaking with the force of her grief. He was surprised by the suddenness, but his arms instinctively came up to hold her, patting her back gently...
