The silence in the small room stretched like a blade. Liam's breath still came ragged, his chest rising and falling as if he'd sprinted a marathon. The weight of her last words sat on him like an anchor dragging him to the bottom of an ocean.
The girl sighed. Her eyes flickered with something softer, something almost human. She looked down for a moment, then back up at him.
"Look," she said quietly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to put your life in danger."
Liam froze. He wasn't expecting remorse from her.. not after everything.
She continued, her tone steady but edged with genuine regret. "It wasn't my intention to force the system on you. Things... weren't supposed to happen like this."
Liam swallowed hard, steadying himself. The storm inside him hadn't settled, but her words gave him something to cling to.
His brows furrowed, suspicion mixing with curiosity. "What are you talking about?"
