"Just be good, and I promise—this is the last time I'll send you abroad."
Tears clung to my lashes, trembling, ready to fall.
I stared at him. My mouth opened, closed, opened again. In the end, nothing came out.
I let him pull me into his arms.
And only then did I realize.
There was no warmth in Oliver Vance's embrace.
By the end of the month, the elite-family qualification assessment arrived. I ignored it.
Oliver's expression darkened. He seized my wrist.
"Still throwing a fit over someone who doesn't matter?"
I said nothing.
My gaze drifted to the marks on his neck. I smiled.
Whatever softness had been left in his eyes froze over completely.
He went quiet for a long time, and when he finally spoke, the restlessness was spilling through every word.
"We're one step away—marry me and you'll be safe. How do you not understand that?"
"What have I done wrong? What is it about me that you can't stand?"
I kept my eyes down, chewing a piece of meat I couldn't break down no matter how long I tried. I turned my head and spat it out.
"Some damage doesn't heal just because you survive the exam."
His throat worked. His face went white.
"That was an accident."