He had known the answer before asking, probably, but he had still be hoping to hear the opposite. He sighed and shifted his weight. The door frame's edge poked uncomfortably against his spine, but he didn't move; it was something to feel a sensation, even an unpleasant one.

"Rosie," he chided gently. I wanted more for you.

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The familiar nickname caused goosebumps to erupt on her skin. No one called her Rosie anymore, she hadn't allowed them to after the engagement ended. It was as though that piece of herself broke then too. To hear it now and in that tone had her swallowing down countless unfriendly remarks.

She had to leave, had to escape where this conversation was headed. Still, her body remained frozen on the porch as though paralyzed. Rosalie frowned and shrugged again.

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stunning set by Lady <3

She didn't say anything. Neither did he. He thought of many things to say. He thought: you could spend your whole life on this and it wouldn't change anything; it would never work; you'd never be able to fix it. He thought: you could do so much more with your life than spend it worrying over a lost cause. He thought: I wish you hadn't loved me — and then he flinched back from it, as though in thinking it he'd grabbed on to something sharp and cut his hand.

A long moment passed. He wrestled with himself and watched Rosalie's posture from behind, paying attention to the tension of each muscle in her shoulder blades.

"I'm going in now," he announced eventually. There wasn't anything to say.

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He was forcing an end to this brief reprieve from the endless loneliness and Rosalie sighed her agreement. She couldn't go inside with him, couldn't support him as she desperately wished to, couldn't do anything beyond not fighting his decree. "Okay." Rosalie stood and focused on straightening her skirts instead of him.

She lingered for a second longer than necessary on the pleats of her skirts before finally looking up at him. "Goodbye Ezra." There was nothing else she could say, nothing that would turn back time and save them both from this.

Rosalie didn't look back as she headed back down the porch and through the gate. However, instead of turning towards the direction of her hosts, Rosalie turned to walk towards the potioneer's workshop.

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stunning set by Lady <3