Chapter 51
Warmth Bloomed in My Chest
We had eaten. Dafa paid the bill with that same efficient flick of his wrist, but his eyes kept drifting to me. Not with suspicion, not anymore, but with a quiet, steady assessment. He was checking if I had eaten enough, if my color had returned, if the resolve he had demanded earlier now rested firmly in my spine.
He didn't lead me toward the motorbike. Instead, he stood, waiting for me to rise, then gave a small decisive nod toward the exit.
"I'll take you home," he said.
"Home?" I blinked. "I have to go back to the Government Hall. The announcement for the certification is this afternoon."
His hand, still resting on the back of his chair, stilled. For a fraction of a second, something flickered across his face. Kind of annoyance at the disruption, or maybe a momentary realization that I still lived a life outside the walls he was beginning to build around us.
Then, just as quickly, he recalibrated.
