Kalle's world was still enveloped in an inescapable darkness. Even though he held Darlene's hand and could seemingly feel her warmth, that long-lost sense of security was torn apart in an instant. His heart was still being torn by intense pain, as if every breath carried an unbearable oppressive feeling. All the promises and vows of the past seemed to have become empty words at this moment.
Kalle's gaze was blurred and dazed. He looked at Darlene, his lips moving slightly, but he couldn't say a word. Every time he tried to express the pain in his heart, his mouth seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't make a sound. The tearing feeling in his heart became even stronger, and every minute and every second was like an endless torment.
"I... don't deserve to have you anymore." Kalle murmured in a low voice, his voice hoarse, and his eyes filled with endless self-blame and regret.
Darlene tightly held Kalle's hand. A trace of pain flashed in her eyes, but she didn't back down. She knew that what Kalle needed most at this moment might be a shoulder he could rely on, someone who could give him warmth and help him regain hope.
"No, Kalle." Darlene gently shook her head, lifted Kalle's chin, and looked directly into his eyes. "You shouldn't think of yourself like that. You've never really lost me. Even in the darkest moments, I'll stand by your side."
"You don't understand," Kalle's voice trembled slightly. "If I couldn't protect you, if I didn't step forward when you needed me most, maybe you wouldn't... you wouldn't be in so much pain."
He closed his eyes deeply and recalled his own cowardice and hesitation in the past. That night, at the most crucial moment, he didn't show up in time, and instead, let Darlene face all the fear and danger alone. Even though she survived, he knew that the pain Darlene endured was something he couldn't make up for.
Darlene's heart clenched tightly. She knew how much pain Kalle was in, and his heart was almost crushed by pain and self-blame. She gently took Kalle's hand and placed it on her chest, letting him feel her heartbeat.
"Kalle, stop blaming yourself." Her voice was soft yet firm. "We've been through so much together. Don't you understand that the most important thing is not the mistakes in the past, but what we can do now?"
Kalle's eyes widened slightly, as if he was somewhat responsive to Darlene's words. But he still couldn't get rid of the pain in his heart, and he still couldn't break free from the endless darkness.
"But... I can't forgive myself." Kalle's voice became even lower, filled with endless remorse. "I made you get hurt, and I made you go through so much pain..."
"Kalle, listen to me," Darlene's voice suddenly became more determined. She gently grasped his shoulders. "Have you ever thought that we've already been through so much? Why don't you believe that you can keep going? Why let the pain of the past continue to bind us? Everything you've done was to protect me, and I'm the same. We shouldn't trap our hearts in pain."
Kalle's chest heaved violently, and his eyes flickered with struggle and hesitation. Darlene's words touched him, but that deep-seated pain was still like a shackle, binding him in the shadow of the past.
"I just... I just think that if I could have been stronger and found you earlier, maybe everything would have been different." Kalle said in a low voice, his eyes full of unwillingness and remorse.
Darlene gently lifted his face and looked directly into his pain-filled eyes. Her voice was low but gentle: "Kalle, loving someone doesn't mean they have to be perfect. It means being able to face all the darkness and imperfections together. You've done well enough, and you've been brave enough."
As she said these words, a determination flashed in her eyes, a belief that she would never give up, and it was her firm support for Kalle.
Kalle was stunned for a moment, as if thinking about the meaning of these words. Gradually, he felt an indescribable emotion surging in his chest, a long-lost warmth, and a comfort from the depths of his heart. The stones weighing on his heart seemed to start loosening little by little.
However, just as Kalle's heart was in turmoil, a rapid series of footsteps suddenly broke the tranquility between them.
"You..." A strange voice interrupted this moment of peace.
Kalle suddenly looked up and saw a stranger wearing a black cloak standing in the distance, with a cold and sharp light flickering in his eyes. This person was obviously not someone they were familiar with, and even the aura emanating from him was full of hostility.
"Who are you?" Darlene reacted immediately and looked at the approaching person warily.
The stranger smiled slightly, and a trace of indifference and mockery showed in that smile: "It seems you haven't realized that the situation has changed. Your struggles and pains are nothing but a trivial game to me."
"What exactly do you want?" Kalle clenched his fists tightly, his gaze cold.
The stranger didn't answer. Instead, he took a few steps towards them, his eyes carrying a provocative look.
"Your pain is far from over." His words were low and meaningful, as if foreshadowing an even greater disaster to come.
Kalle's heart sank suddenly, and that oppressive feeling swept over him again. Deep in his heart, it was as if something was telling him that this vortex of pain had just begun.
And all of this stemmed from the past he couldn't control.
Darlene felt the tense aura on Kalle. She gently held his hand, and a determined light flickered in her eyes. "No matter what lies ahead, we'll go on together."
Kalle lowered his head, took a deep breath, and his determined gaze swept over the stranger in front of him. "Wherever we go, the darkness follows. You can't stop our future."
Although his heart was still filled with pain and remorse, Kalle finally realized that only by fighting side by side with Darlene could they get out of this endless darkness. No matter how many uncertainties and challenges lay ahead, he would never give up again.
At this moment, the painful memories still lingered in his mind, but he knew that only by persevering could there be hope. Their fates were already tightly intertwined and would no longer be torn apart by any external force.