“Stop the countdown.” My voice cut through the room before I even realized I had spoken. It didn’t sound like panic. It didn’t sound like a plea. It sounded like a command I wasn’t sure I had the right to give.
The timer didn’t stop. The numbers kept dropping. The figure tilted their head slightly. “You’re not in control yet,” they said. “Then give it to me,” I replied.
Adrian turned sharply. “No.”
The word came fast. Too fast.
I didn’t look at him. Not yet. If I did, I might hesitate, and hesitation felt dangerous now. “You don’t even know what that means,” he added.
“I know enough.”
“You don’t,” he said, stepping closer. “They’re forcing you into a false choice.” “They’re forcing something,” I agreed. “That doesn’t make it false.”
The timer dropped lower.
00:21
The sound of each
