Debbie did not hesitate this time. She nodded, and although her posture remained straight, her eyes dimmed in a way that spoke louder than any dramatic display could have.
"You can't force love," she said softly, and there was a quiet resignation woven through her words. "If she's the one he wants, then so be it. I won't stand in the way of something that makes him happy.
And maybe one day, I'll meet someone who feels like my own person, someone who looks at me the way I look at him, and I'll realize this was just… an obsession I eventually outgrew."
Scarlet let out a small chuckle that wasn't mocking but held a note of reluctant admiration.
"I'd rather try and fail than spend my life wondering what might have happened if I had been braver," she murmured thoughtfully, before
