The moment I said, “I agree,” Albert visibly relaxed.After the meeting, I turned to leave. He caught me in the hall, wrapping his arms around me from behind.In the past, I would have melted into his embrace, felt a bittersweet ache for this rare display of affection, and found another excuse to forgive him.But now, I just felt suffocated.“Grace,” he murmured. “Don’t be angry.”I didn’t pull away. I just stood there, perfectly still.Albert seemed to take my silence as surrender. His voice grew softer. “Letting Maria help with the festival is just to help her cope with losing her mate. You know she's been going through a hard time. When you get back from your trip, everything will go back to normal.”He said it like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.He paused, then added, as if I needed more convincing, “Think of it as training, so she can assist you better in the future.”Back to normal?He had no idea. I wasn’t coming back.I was done arguing. “Okay,” I said quietly.
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