Fallen General's Omega (BL)
Chapter 168: Where were you?

Chapter 168: Where were you?

In the luxurious room of Duke Remiro’s estate, the tension was thick. The dim light spilled through the grand windows, casting long shadows over the room’s ornate furnishings. Thorne sat on the edge of the plush bed, his broad shoulders slumped. Noelle stood before him, his small fists clenched and trembling.

And then the dam broke.

Noelle hit Thorne’s chest, the strikes small but full of pent-up frustration and heartbreak.

"I hate you," Noelle said, his voice trembling as he hit him again. "I hate you so much."

Thorne didn’t move, didn’t flinch. He simply sat there, his hands gripping his knees tightly, his knuckles white.

"I’m sorry," Thorne said, his deep voice breaking. "I—Noelle, I’m so sorry."

"Sorry?" Noelle’s voice rose, thick with pain. He hit him again, harder this time, tears streaming down his face. "You’re sorry? That’s all you can say to me? After months—no, years, Thorne! Years! Where the hell were you?"

"I know," Thorne said, his voice low and trembling. "I know, Noelle. I—"

"No, you don’t!" Noelle screamed, his fists pounding against Thorne’s unyielding chest. "You don’t know what it was like! You don’t know how much it hurt! I was alone, Thorne! Alone! Where were you when I needed you the most?"

Thorne’s hands twitched, aching to reach out, to comfort, to shield, but he didn’t. He knew Noelle needed this. He needed to let it out, and Thorne deserved every word, every tear, every blow.

"I’m sorry," Thorne said again, his voice thick with emotion, breaking like glass under pressure.

"Sorry?" Noelle’s laugh was bitter, strangled. "You think that makes it better? You think that undoes the nights I cried myself to sleep? The days I begged for a miracle, just one sign that you were searching for me, that you hadn’t abandoned me? Do you have any idea what it was like to carry her, alone? To feel her kick and wonder if she’d ever meet her father?"

Thorne’s throat tightened, a lump forming so large he could barely breathe.

"Noelle, I—"

"No!" Noelle cut him off, his voice cracking with the weight of his pain. His fists fell to his sides, trembling as his body heaved with sobs. "I was scared, Thorne. I thought I’d lose her. I thought I’d lose everything. I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t know how to survive without you! Do you even know how many times I wanted to give up? How many times I thought it would be easier to just—"

"No!" Thorne’s voice was sharp, anguished. He surged forward, wrapping his strong arms around Noelle and pulling him close. "Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say that. You’re here, Noelle. You’re here, and you’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. I failed you, and I’ll never forgive myself for that, but don’t you ever say it would’ve been easier to give up. You’re my star, Noelle. My everything. I’m so, so sorry."

Noelle collapsed into Thorne’s embrace, his small fists clutching at the fabric of Thorne’s shirt as he sobbed into his chest.

"I hate you," he whispered again, his voice breaking. "I hate you for making me love you so much. I hate you for not being there. I hate you for leaving me alone. You’re supposed to protect me, Thorne. You promised."

"I know," Thorne said, his voice a raw whisper as he cradled Noelle’s trembling body. "I broke that promise, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I swear it. But I’m here now. I’m here, and I’ll never leave you again. You and her—you’re everything to me, Noelle. Everything. I’ll die before I let anyone take you from me again."

Noelle’s sobs softened, his body still trembling against Thorne’s. "You don’t get to die," he murmured, his voice muffled against Thorne’s chest. "You don’t get to leave me behind again. Not ever."

Thorne pressed a kiss to the top of Noelle’s head, his own tears falling silently. "Never," he vowed, his voice trembling with the weight of his promise. "Never again, my star. I’ll protect you both with everything I have. Always."

Thorne held his whole world in his arms, his broad chest rising and falling with each shaky breath. The sound of Noelle’s sobs broke him in ways no battlefield ever could. Every cry felt like a dagger to his heart, each trembling shudder a reminder of his failure. But at the same time, his heart was at peace—because finally, finally, he could hold Noelle again.

He pressed his lips to Noelle’s temple, lingering there as if the touch could somehow convey the words he couldn’t fully articulate. His arms tightened around him, pulling him closer, as if by sheer force of will he could shield Noelle from every pain in the world.

"You’re safe now," Thorne murmured softly, his voice cracking. "I’ve got you, my star. No one will hurt you again."

Noelle’s hands clutched at Thorne’s shirt, his sobs quieting but his breathing still ragged. "You say that, but where were you when I needed you? When I was screaming your name, begging the gods to bring you back to me?"

Thorne’s arms tightened further, his forehead resting against Noelle’s. "I know, my love," he whispered, his voice heavy with guilt. "I wasn’t there, and I’ll hate myself for it for the rest of my life. But I’m here now. I’ll never leave you again. I swear it."

Noelle’s trembling fingers brushed against Thorne’s chest, right over his racing heart. "I thought I lost you," he choked out. "I thought I’d never see you again. I—I didn’t know how to keep going without you."

Thorne kissed his hair, his tears dampening Noelle’s soft locks. "I know," he said, his voice breaking. "I know, and I hate that I made you feel that way. If I could take it all back, I would. I’d have torn down the heavens and earth to come back to you sooner."

The room was silent except for the sound of their breathing. Noelle melted further into Thorne’s embrace, his body still trembling but his grip on Thorne’s shirt steady. "You’re not allowed to leave again," he murmured, his voice laced with quiet desperation. "You don’t get to leave me like that ever again."

"I won’t," Thorne promised, his voice firm and resolute. He gently cupped Noelle’s face, tilting it up so their eyes met. "Noelle, look at me. I won’t ever leave you. You and her—you’re my world. I’ll die before I let anyone take you from me again."

Noelle’s lip quivered, his eyes brimming with fresh tears. But he nodded, leaning into Thorne’s touch as his breathing steadied.

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