I gave a quiet "mm," my eyes filled with disappointment as I looked at him.

Elijah, panicked, grabbed my wrist and said urgently:

"Please, let me explain."

I pulled my hand away from his grasp and asked coldly, "Explain what?"

I gave a cold smile.

"Are you saying I misunderstood because of my hearing impairment?"

He hesitated, clearly unsure how to explain.

"Elijah."

As soon as I called his name, tears began to fall uncontrollably.

"I never imagined how unwilling you were to marry me. When I saved you, it was done willingly, without expecting anything in return."

"It wasn’t meant to be a bargaining chip to force you into...