The weight of the contract felt like an anchor in Agnes's hands, heavy and cold. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think clearly. All the noise around her faded as the reality of what Lami had handed her settled into her bones.
The document was signed, official. She could see her father's signature at the bottom, his scrawl unmistakable. The words blurred before her eyes as they danced in the cold, sterile light of the café.
"Agnes, please," Lami's voice broke through her fog, smooth and persistent. "Don't pretend like you have a choice. You know this is the only way forward."
Majek, still standing across from them, was rigid. His expression was tight, his jaw clenched. He looked like he wanted to lash out, but something in his eyes held him back. Fear? Anger? Maybe both. Agnes wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything anymore.
Her hands shook as she gripped the paper, staring down at it as if it held the answer to everything—everything she hadn't been able to remember.
"You're lying," she said, her voice shaking with something she couldn't name. "This… this isn't the truth. I don't have to—"
"You don't want to," Lami interrupted, his voice cold, venomous. "Because you think you still have some say in this. But you don't. The choice was made a long time ago. The pact between our families—your father's promise—it's not negotiable. And you, Agnes, you belong to me."
Her pulse hammered in her ears. You belong to me.
The words didn't sting in the way she thought they would. They chilled her, but not in the way of fear. It was the cold realization that, maybe, he was right.
Her father had never asked her opinion. He had always told her what was best for her, what would secure her future. Agnes had never questioned that before. Why had she never questioned it?
"I don't belong to you, Lami." Her voice cut through the silence like a shard of glass. "And I won't let you control me."
For a moment, it was as if the air held its breath. Lami blinked, taken aback by the strength in her voice.
"You don't understand, Agnes," Lami said, his tone now dangerously quiet. "You think you have a choice. But your choice will always be what I decide it is. And you will be mine—whether you remember it or not."
Majek took a step forward, his face tight with frustration. "Enough, Lami. You're not going to manipulate her anymore."
The words hung in the air, thick with the weight of everything unsaid. Agnes couldn't tear her eyes away from Majek. His presence had always been a quiet strength, a gentle comfort in her chaotic world. And now, despite everything, despite the distance between them, despite the fact that she could barely remember the love they had once shared, his words felt like a lifeline.
"Majek…" Her voice was barely a whisper, but the softness of it was enough to cut through the tension in the room. "You shouldn't be here. I… I don't know what to do anymore."
Majek's eyes softened as he walked closer, his gaze steady on her face. "You don't have to decide anything right now, Agnes. Just… just trust me. We'll figure this out."
Lami's expression darkened at the exchange, his lip curling into a sneer. "What are you going to do, Majek? Play the hero? You think you can fix this? You can't fix what's been broken for years."
Agnes swallowed hard, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Her head was spinning. The truth of what Lami had just said—the betrayal, the manipulation—was suffocating. And Majek's words, his unwavering belief that there was still a chance for them, made her heart ache. What was real anymore?
"I'm not the hero," Majek replied, his voice firm. "But I know what I want. And I want you, Agnes. I always have."
The raw honesty in his words stunned her. She felt it in her chest, like the first flutter of something long lost, the first breath of air after suffocating under water.
But then, like a slap to her senses, she remembered: she wasn't free. She couldn't just choose him. Not when her entire life had been dictated by the ties between her father and Lami's family.
But Majek was here now. And he wasn't leaving.
Lami took a step forward, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. "You're making a mistake, Agnes. You can't undo what's been done. Not now. Not after everything."
The words stung, and for a moment, she faltered. The doubt crept in again, the feeling that she might be trapped forever, that her choices had already been made for her. That there was no escaping the cage that had been built around her since birth.
But then, something inside her broke. The resolve that had always been buried deep within her—hidden beneath layers of duty, of obligation, of guilt—began to emerge. She felt it, pushing against the walls she had built, against the years of fear and silence.
"I don't care anymore," Agnes said, her voice quieter this time but filled with something fierce. Something wild. "I don't care about the contract, or your father's promises. I care about what I want."
She looked at Majek, her gaze locking onto his. His eyes softened, filled with an understanding she hadn't expected. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. His presence was enough.
Lami was silent for a long moment, his gaze flicking between them. The smirk on his lips faltered, and for the first time in ages, Lami seemed uncertain. It was as if he couldn't fathom Agnes making a choice for herself. A choice that wasn't part of the plans he had so carefully crafted.
"You think this changes anything?" Lami's voice was strained, but he was trying to regain control, trying to force the fear back into her. "You think you're in control now? You're not. You're just a little girl playing at freedom."
Majek's eyes narrowed. "Leave, Lami. You've lost. You don't have a hold on her anymore."
Agnes shook her head, her chest tight with emotion. "No, Majek. We can't just—"
But she was cut off by the sound of a door slamming open from behind them. Agnes turned sharply, her heart skipping a beat. Her father.
Mr. Smith Lewis stood in the doorway, his presence commanding the room immediately. His sharp, calculating eyes took in the scene before him, his expression unreadable.
"Agnes," he said, his voice cold. "What is going on here?"
Lami's face twisted into something almost like relief. "Mr. Lewis, I've been trying to talk some sense into your daughter."
Mr. Smith didn't even acknowledge him. His gaze was fixed solely on Agnes. "You are making a grave mistake, Agnes. This is not how this will end. You are not in control of this. I am your father. You will do as you're told."
Agnes felt the familiar weight of his words, but this time, it didn't have the power it used to. This time, she wasn't backing down.
"No." She said it slowly, with finality. "No, I won't. I'm not going to be your pawn anymore, Father. I won't marry him." She glanced at Lami, then back at her father. "I'm not marrying anyone. Not if I don't want to."
The room was still for a long moment, the tension between them so thick that it felt like the air itself was holding its breath.
Mr. Smith's gaze hardened, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Then you are no longer my daughter."
Agnes felt the sting of his words, but this time, she didn't flinch. Instead, she took a deep breath, standing taller than she ever had before. She felt the ground beneath her shift, felt the power of her own voice.
"I am my own person," she said, her voice clear and unwavering. "And I will make my own choices."