534: Unwarranted Blame

Alex felt the weight of Emma's gaze, heavy with a mixture of confusion and concern. His recent expression of guilt had surprised her; it wasn't characteristic of the Alex she knew. His vulnerability seemed misplaced, as though he were struggling with memories he couldn't fully grasp. "Emma, I just can't shake the feeling that somehow, I am responsible for all this," Alex confessed, his voice laden with an unusual regret. "If only I hadn't been involved with them in the first place." Emma shook her head gently, her response firm. "This isn't about you, Alex. Clarke Zodiac and Teddy's actions are driven by their own twisted motives, not by anything you did." Despite her reassurance, Alex's mood darkened, his thoughts clearly spiraling. "But isn't it my past actions that have led us here? My involvement with them, however indirect, might have contributed to this situation." Emma observed the conflict in Alex, a man grappling with fragments of a past he could not fully remember. She n