196: MY SINS

LUKE'S POV I sat alone in the dimly lit church; my hands clasped tightly together as I gazed at the flickering candles casting dancing shadows on the walls. The silence enveloped me like a heavy shroud, amplifying the turmoil in my heart. My mind echoed with memories of the hurt I had inflicted on Ariel. My heart ached with the weight of my mistakes, the sharp pang of regret piercing through me like a knife. How could I have been so blind and foolish as to have caused her so much pain? The tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over, but I fought them back, my jaw clenched in a futile attempt to hold back the flood of emotions raging inside me. The image of Ariel's tear-streaked face haunted me, her eyes filled with betrayal and hurt as she turned away from me, her harsh words the last time I saw her cutting through me like shards of glass. I had never felt more alone than in that moment when she walked out of my life, leaving me standing there, shattered and broken. I bo