The folder lay on the desk, ominous and unyielding. It felt like the room itself had grown colder the moment Dimitri placed it there, as though its mere presence had sucked the warmth from the air. My hand trembled as I reached for it, but I forced myself to stop. Fear had never gotten me anywhere before.
Dimitri watched me in silence, his arms crossed, his face set in stone. His piercing eyes followed my movements, daring me to open it, to expose the truth he had guarded so fiercely. Yet beneath the hard exterior, I saw the faintest flicker of something else—hesitation, maybe even regret.
"You don't have to do this," he said, his voice softer than I expected.
I glanced at him, meeting his gaze with a steeliness I didn't quite feel. "Yes, I do."
He didn't respond, but his jaw tightened.
