"A promise?"
The word slipped from his lips like velvet, smooth but sharp enough to cut. His eyes held mine, steady, unblinking, as if daring me to repeat myself.
"Yes," I said. My voice was steady, though my insides were quaking. "A promise."
He tilted his head slightly, that faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Not a warm smile. Never warm.
It was the kind that made your stomach twist, as if he already knew the ending to a game you hadn't even figured out yet.
"And what makes you think you can keep it?" he asked. His tone was curious, almost amused, but I could hear the steel under it. A hidden warning.
I didn't answer right away. My silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. I forced my shoulders not to curl in, forced my chin to stay high.
"Because I don't back down. Not when the truth is at stake."
"The truth?" his voice echoed, "And what exactly is this truth?"
