“Retvik.”
“Gath, you have no idea how pleased I am to hear your voice! It has taken me far too long to convince General Litvir to allow me to call you.”
Retvik glanced around the room to make sure that no one was watching him. He couldn’t be certain that the line was completely secure, nor could he tell whether anyone else was listening in, but he could at least make sure he was alone in the room.
“Yes, about that…”
“I am so sorry about all of this happening. I had intended for it all to be quick so I could come back home and…”
“Retvik…”
“And it all spiralled out of my control…”
“Retvik!”
Gath’s voice sounded dry. Stressed. Retvik could tell that he wasn’t quite right, as if he had recently finished crying.
“Are you well?” Retvik asked.
“No. I… I want a divorce.”
“A…” Retvik tried to repeat Gath’s words, but they failed to form in his mouth. Instead, Retvik found himself stammering and stuttering, trying to think of something, anything to say. “H-how long have you been considering this?”
“Ever since you left to help with that traitorous asshole. It was supposed to be quick. We were supposed to settle down. We were supposed to do a lot of things, Retvik. But your adventuring ways always got ahead of you.”
Retvik sighed. Gath ignored his sigh and continued.
“There are a lot of things I have wanted, Retvik. Things I have desired but put to one side because of you. I put my time on hold so you could be the praised hero, but you never did the same for me. I have spent countless sleepless days waiting for you to come home, to say that you are putting your blade away and that we can finally settle down but that never happened. I am running out of time to do what I want. I cannot do any of this with you. Not any more.”
Gath took a deep breath. There was clearly more he wanted to say, but he fell quiet for a moment. As if he was waiting for Retvik to make a counterargument.
For perhaps too long, no one spoke. The line crackled to itself, waiting for someone to say something, anything. Eventually, Retvik broke the silence.
“You are completely right, Gath.”
“I… what? You agree with me?”
“Yes, I agree. While your impeccable timing has somewhat kicked me while I am down, you are correct that I have been inconsiderate towards you and stopped you from living your life while I lived mine. If a separation means that you will be happy and can obtain what you truly want, then it would be immoral for me to continue holding you back.”
“So you agree to our separation.”
Retvik sighed. “Yes, but on one condition. I am happy for you to live from now on as you please, as a single Rethan. But may I request that we hold off on finalizing paperwork? I am currently not in a position where I can truly consent to, well, anything.”
“That is fair. I am sorry that I had to reveal this over a long distance communication. I could not… bury it any longer…” Gath took another deep breath, but this breath was different. He already seemed happier. As if a partner-shaped weight had been lifted from his shoulders and his mind.
“That is my fault, not yours. After all, I was the one who did not listen and ended up in this horrible hole, not you.”
“Thank you for being so understanding.”
“Of course…” Retvik’s eyes darted around the room. He could hear chatter outside. He knew he was running out of time. “It is the least I can do… I hate to cut this short, but I think I have to go…”
“Fair. Look after yourself, Retvik. This will be better for the both of-”
The line suddenly went dead. Someone outside of the room had cut the connection. Most likely intentionally.
Retvik remained where he was, sat in his seat, twisted emotions clawing at his mind. He allowed one solitary tear to drip from each eye, then grunted, pushing the harsh feelings away, accepting what had just happened. A knock on the door behind him dragged Retvik back into reality proper.
“Hey, are you done? We got work to do.”
Without a word, Retvik got up and headed towards the exit. He could have sat there for longer, but Retvik no longer cared. After all, he had just lost the love of his life.
“You alright?” Captain Eoman asked as he opened the door. “You do not look great. What happened?”
“Nothing…” Retvik muttered. “Nothing you need to know about.”
“Oh well…” Eoman trailed off. “Come on. We have some interesting stuff happening today.”
“If you say so…” Retvik trailed off, following Eoman down the corridor, the last drops of his spirit fading away.