At that moment, Oliver stood frozen, staring at his father with disbelief written all over his face. His chest rose and fell with sharp breaths, each word from his father still echoing in his mind, cutting deeper than any wound he'd taken in the fight earlier. For a moment, he couldn't even find the words not because he didn't have anything to say, but because there was too much to say, a flood of emotions crashing inside him all at once.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low, trembling with restrained anger, but heavy enough to silence even William's smugness.
"So that's it?" Oliver said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his father. "This just proves what I've always known. I don't belong here. I never have."
His words hung in the air like a confession, raw and bitter.
Then he let out a dry, humorless laugh and shook his head slowly.
