Arwen's words carried a weight that nearly made Catrin stagger. Her face drained of all color as she stared at her daughter, as if trying to decide whether she had truly heard what she thought she had.
"What did you say?" Catrin asked again, her voice trembling, her throat working as she swallowed hard —hoping, almost desperately, that she had misheard.
But reality was never so merciful. Especially, not when it was laced with the steel of unshakable resolve.
Arwen didn't flinch. She met with her mother's eyes and repeated, her voice steady, "I said, I will sign them, as per your wish. Didn't you just want me to sign them and prove? Don't tell me this was just another bait?"
A stunned silence gripped the room. Even the soft clinking of the glass and hushed whispers from the guests vanished.
This was an unexpected turn of the event that no one had seen coming.
Catrin's nail scraped into her palms, digging deeper. "This —"
"Arwen, how could you even say such a thing?"
