"A hard pill to swallow," Kaa said. There wasn't much he could say that could turn this into a bright side. Even the ancestral memories could do nothing more than give sad love stories that ended in tragedy when it was about something like this.
"My friend, I will not do you a disservice by offering empty platitudes and assurances that it will get better." Kaa shook his head. "I will not even dishonor how you feel by suggesting you will find someone else, or that this is an opportunity for new things. None of that will matter, and I am certain you have already heard them."
There was a very good reason why Bagheera had asked Kaa to advise the man-cub. Other than generations of Naga intelligence and experience to draw upon.
"Feel what you feel," he said. "Your emotions are the only truth a man can believe with any certainty. Physical pain tells us when we are injured and need help. Emotional pain is the same. Neglect the pain and it will only get worse."