Aria's breath hitched at Kalden's words, her heart pounding as if his statement had struck something deep within her. "I… I didn't have a choice," she blurted out, her voice trembling with frustration and despair. The admission felt raw, like exposing a wound she had hidden for too long.
Kalden's sharp crimson eyes remained fixed on her, unyielding and calm. He raised an eyebrow, a subtle gesture of disbelief, as he crossed his arms over his chest. Leaning slightly against the edge of the wooden table, his posture was one of composed authority, exuding power and self-assurance. "Everyone has a choice," he said evenly, his voice low but firm, carrying the weight of someone who had lived by those very words.
