He hauled her against his chest, and buried his face in the soft strands of her hair. “I will never forget you.”
Anya tightened her grip around his back and begged him. “Don’t leave.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. Every minute that passed made it that much tougher to separate from her. “Remember how I taught you to find the North Star?”
She nodded against his chest.
“Every night I look for the North Star.” He gathered locks of her hair, and held them with a closed fist. “Whenever you find it, know that I’m thinking of you.”
She leaned back and beheld him with glistening eyes. “It’s not enough,” she whispered.
Misery. That’s what he saw in her eyes and it tore him apart. “It has to be,” he said with a break in his voice.
“Why?”
Each pulse of his heartbeat sent a tide of agony searing through his chest. “Because...” He opened his hand and let the strands of her hair slip through his fingers. “I made a promise.”