The office door closed behind us with a weight that felt heavier than iron. I had stood before my father countless times, confronting his judgment, expectations, and demands, but never like this. Not when with Ellie by my side.
Her steps were silent next to me, her breath uneven. I wanted to reach for her, to steady her, but the echo of Father's words still rang in my head.
"If you fail each other, you fail me."
I clenched my fists. Failure had never been an option for me, neither in business nor in family, and certainly not in love.
As we turned into the hall, Ellie slowed her pace, her gaze
downcast. I could see the weight pressing on her shoulders, as if she were carrying Father's warning like a burden far too heavy for her.
"This isn't your fight," I muttered, my voice low and harsher than I intended.
Her head snapped up, her eyes blazing. "Yes, it is. If I'm with you, Tristan, then it's my fight too."
The fire within her nearly undid me. She was fragile, yes, but she possessed a strength that most people overlooked. It terrified me, and it made me want her even more.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "You don't understand what that means. My world doesn't forgive mistakes. Once you step into it, there's no turning back."
Her chin lifted, steady and defiant. "Then I won't turn back."
For a moment, the hall around us faded away. It was just her, this woman who had slipped past the walls I had built and refused to let me push her away.
But even as my heart leaned toward her, my mind pulled me back. Loving Ellie meant putting her in danger, and my father was right. The enemies of our family would not spare her.
Footsteps echoed in the distance, snapping me out of my thoughts. I forced some space between us, my mask slipping back into place.
However, Ellie's eyes softened, as if she could see the battle raging inside me. That frightened me more than anything, for how easily she could read me when no one else ever could.
I walked her to her room without saying another word. Before she slipped inside, she touched my arm lightly, almost tentatively.
"You don't have to protect me from us, Tristan."
The door closed, leaving me alone in the hallway, her words echoing in my mind.
"Don't protect her from us. Protect her from the world."
For the first time in years, I wasn't sure I was strong enough to do both.