Miura leaned closer to Sabrina, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Do you ever tire of it, this act you play for the world?”
Sabrina looked down at her hands, her pale fingers trembling slightly. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Miura’s smile was tinged with sadness. “You wear a mask, Sabrina Timberlake. One of duty, of propriety. But underneath, there is something far more honest. Something longing to breathe.”
Sabrina opened her mouth to respond, but the door to the room slid open with a sharp clatter.
Robert stood framed in the doorway, his face dark with anger. His gaze flickered between Miura and Sabrina, his lips curling into a sneer.
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“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” he said coldly, stepping inside. His presence seemed to shrink the room, the quiet intimacy shattered.
Miura straightened, her expression calm but unreadable. “Lieutenant Timberlake,” she said smoothly, rising to her feet. “Your sister is a guest in my presence. I trust you’ll treat her as such.”
Robert ignored her, his eyes fixed on Sabrina. “You disgrace yourself,” he spat. “And you disgrace me.”
“Robert, don’t–” Sabrina began, but he cut her off with a sharp gesture.
“You’re my responsibility,” he snarled. “And I’ll not have you cavorting with the likes of her.”
Miura stepped forward, her gaze as cold as the sea wind. “The likes of me, Lieutenant? Or the likes of a woman who sees what you do not?”
Robert’s hand shot out, grabbing Sabrina by the wrist. “You’re coming with me. Now.”
But before he could pull her away, Miura’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. “Release her.”
For a moment, the room was still, the storm outside echoing in the silence. Robert glared at Miura, but something in her gaze–unflinching, unyielding–made him pause.
Sabrina’s heart pounded as she looked between them, her mind racing. She knew this moment was a breaking point, the first tear in the fragile veil she had woven around her life.
And for the first time, she was ready to let it fall.