“You are asking me,” he said slowly, each word carved from restraint, “to watch you walk into a trap and trust that nothing will go wrong.”
She lifted her chin slightly.
“I am asking you to trust that we are stronger when we act together.”
Something broke through his composure then — not anger, not logic, but raw fear.
“You fainted from a phone call,” he said quietly. “You almost died bringing our sons into this world. You are still recovering. And you want to walk willingly toward a man who has already proven he is capable of brutality.”
His voice lowered further.
“I will not risk you.”
Her heart ached at the emotion he could no longer hide.
But she did not step back.
Instead, she reached for his hand.
He let her take it — though tension still coiled through his entire body.
“I
