"I wonder what makes you think I'm pretending, Kathrine."
Daniel paused, a low chuckle rumbling from his chest—dark, humorless. His eyes, however, never missed the anger burning in hers.
Now he understood where her disdain came from and why she doubted every move he made.
"But I suppose," he continued quietly, "this isn't the moment for me to convince you. Believe what you want. Just know this—when it comes to Anna, I don't pretend. My concerns are real."
Anna was the only person he would bend his entire world for. The rest of them? He wasn't sure he owed them anything. Even if he tried to, he couldn't deny the distance he kept… or the truths he didn't fully confront.
Kathrine's jaw clenched so tightly it trembled.
"Just make sure it's not you behind this, Daniel," she snapped. "Because if it is… I promise you, no one—not even my own family—will stop me from exposing you."
Her voice carried a razor edge. She wasn't bluffing. She was done being subtle.
