The room felt smaller than it had minutes earlier, the walls closing in not because of the threat outside, but because of what his decision meant. Adrian didn’t move at first. He just stood there — jaw set, shoulders squared, gaze locked on hers with a resolve she had never seen on his face before.
“You’re not doing this,” she said quietly, though her heartbeat thundered in her ears. “You’re not throwing your career away for me.”
“It’s already gone,” he replied. “The moment they framed the narrative, the board had their verdict. They’re not investigating — they’re protecting themselves.”
“And you think a confession solves that?” she demanded. “You think stepping in front of bullets stops them firing?”
His voice lowered. “No. But it means they hit me instead of you.”
She shook her head
