"What about Nolan, don't you feel sorry for him?" Sofia asked, at the verge of breaking down. Intuitively, Paige glanced away, clearly not interested. "Do you have any idea what he is going through?
Paige's gaze remained steady, her expression unyielding. "Nolan's choices are his own burden," she replied coolly. "I've learned not to carry the weight of others' struggles." Her voice held a hint of steel, revealing the resilience that had kept her standing in a world that demanded vulnerability.
Sofia's concern for Nolan was genuine, but Paige had long since closed the door on empathy. She knew better than to let anyone else's pain seep through her defenses.
"Besides, he must be happy since he won't be married off for money." Paige blurted.
"What?" Sofia muttered with a slack jaw.
