“You agreed to a marriage.”
“I did not agree to take what was not freely offered.”
The words were so quietly spoken that I almost missed their weight.
For the first time since Thursday, I felt the ground beneath me become solid.
Not safe.
Not yet.
But solid.
Niko reached for the door.
“Wait.”
He looked back.
“Why did my father lie to you?”
His jaw tightened.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think he was ashamed?”
“No.”
The answer came with certainty.
“Then why?”
Niko’s gaze moved to the ring on my hand.
“To make me believe you had nothing left to lose.”
A chill passed through me.
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure.”
“But you suspect something.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me.”
He stood in the doorway between our rooms, one hand resting against the frame.
“Your mother’s file contains a reference to a witness,” he said. “A young woman who disappeared before she could be questioned.”
