Benjamin did not move, not when I refused him.Not when Marco and Gray subtly stepped into position, their presence forming an invisible barrier between us.He simply stood there, looking at me as if time itself had paused, as if he were trying to reconcile the person in front of him with the girl he once believed he owned.The café remained quiet around us, though I could feel the shift in the air. Conversations softened, glances flickered in our direction, and something unspoken began to settle into the space between us.Pressure, expectation and control.“You have changed,” Benjamin said at last, his voice calm, though there was something sharper beneath it.I leaned back slightly in my chair, crossing my arms as I held his gaze.“I grew up and learn,” I replied.The answer was simple but it carried weight because we both knew that was not what he meant.His lips curved faintly, though there was no warmth in the expression.“No,” he said slowly. “You have become defiant.”I tilted
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