Chapter 56

　　Serena 　　The next day dawned with a heaviness mirroring the weight in my heart. As I walked through our makeshift camp, I noticed Alexei sitting alone, his usual lively eyes dull and clouded with sadness. Guilt gnawed at me for the harsh words I had spoken to him the day before. 　　Approaching him, I hesitated before sitting down beside him. "Alexei," I began, my voice softer than before, "I... I didn't mean to hurt you yesterday." 　　He glanced at me, pain and understanding in his eyes. "It's alright, Serena. You had every right to be angry." 　　But it wasn't all right, and I knew it. There was more to his sorrow than just my words. "No, it's not just that. I can see you're hurting, and I'm sorry for what Tori did to you." 　　Alexei's gaze dropped, and he sighed. "I thought she was different, Serena. I trusted her above anything else. But she betrayed me too. She dumped me like a trash, as if I was nothing in her life." 　　My heart sank for him. I could feel the weight of his disappointm