"You two," she began softly, her voice laced with sincerity, "first of all, I want to apologize. This all started because of me. I was the original target, but you're the ones who ended up getting hurt. You're both victims of this situation, and I know how heavy that must feel. I can see it—how you're each carrying your own guilt, each feeling responsible in your own way for something neither of you intended."
"But you don't have to be so hard on yourselves. None of this was your fault—and neither of you should be carrying all this guilt alone." She turned to Zen, her voice gentle but firm.
