The guilt hit him like a wave. He hadn't just hurt Ruby. He had crushed her. Turned his back on her after everything she had done for him. And now… now she was gone. Disappeared without a word. Carrying what was possibly his child.
Stefan stared at the floor, jaw clenched, as the realization set in deeper.
"I should've known," he muttered. "I should've seen it. The way she talked… the way she moved. It was never Ivy."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Winters," Doctor Sylvia said gently. "I don't know what you're talking about but I do know you have to stop blaming yourself and go fix it. Whatever it is."
He sat in silence for a long while, letting the weight of everything settle over him. The lies. The mistakes. The things left unsaid. Then slowly, he looked back up.
"I need to find her," he said. "No matter what it takes. I have to fix this. You're right."
Doctor Sylvia nodded, standing as he rose to his feet. "That's a good start."
