Chapter 34 : the line you crossed

Kana didn’t cry.Not when she texted him to meet.Not when she saw his face.They sat across from each other in his living room.Kota smiled, casual.“You sounded serious.”“I am.”She placed her phone on the table.On the screen: messages. Headlines. Anonymous quotes.Rumors about Ayase. About Ren. About people Kana loved.“You knew,” Kana said. “And you still publish it.”Kota frowned. “It’s my job.”“No,” she replied calmly. “It was your choice.”He leaned forward. “I didn’t use names.”“You used their lives.”Silence.“They trusted me,” Kana continued. “And you used that trust as material.”Kota exhaled, irritated. “You’re overreacting.”That was when she stood up.“We’re done.”He froze.“…Because of an article?”“Because you didn’t protect what mattered.”Her voice finally cracked.“I won’t be with someone who hurts my friends and calls it professionalism.”Kota reached out. She stepped back.“I loved you,” she said quietly. “But love doesn’t excuse betrayal.”She walked out.Outside, the air was cold.But Kana felt clear.~Kota reread the article.Once.Twice.The words hadn’t changed.The facts were clean.No lies. No names.And yet—Kana’s voice echoed in his head.You used their lives.He scoffed, leaning back in his chair.“Emotional.”That’s what he told himself.Still, his fingers hovered over his phone.Kana’s contact sat there, untouched.He opened their last conversation.I'm happy to be with you.His jaw tightened.He could apologize.He knew what he’d say.He didn’t mean to hurt anyone.It was just work.But the thought of saying sorry made his chest burn.Sorry meant admitting he crossed a line.Sorry meant she was right.He closed the phone.“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he muttered.Yet his apartment felt too quiet.Too empty.For the first time, being right didn’t feel like winning.
End of chapter 34