At that moment, hearing what Cora just said, Oliver's expression shifted slightly his eyes narrowing with quiet concern. She had barely said a word about what was wrong, yet her tone, her posture, the way she avoided his gaze it all pointed to something heavy. He studied her face, trying to read beyond her forced calm, and then finally said, in a softer voice, "Cora… you know me. I don't play with words. If something's wrong, we go inside and fix it, not talk about it out here like strangers."
But Cora didn't budge.
She took a slow step closer, her hands gently clutched together in front of her. "Oliver," she said, her voice slightly trembling now, but still steady, "this… this thing I'm about to say, it's not something I want to discuss inside for now. It's not something I want to explain until you promise me. I know it's not how you work, but I need you to trust me, just like you've done before."
