Chapter 8 - The Answer Elena Refused To Give
I didn’t answer Reed.
Not because I couldn’t.
Because he hadn’t earned it.
The officer understood.
He nodded slightly.
A sign.
Respect.
Reed noticed.
That bothered him.
“You’re protecting her.”
The officer looked at him.
“No.”
A pause.
“I’m respecting her.”
That was different.
Reed had never learned the difference.
He believed respect came from fear.
He believed authority came from intimidation.
I knew better.
The officer escorted me toward the door.
Then I stopped.
Looked back.
At the recruits.
At the mess hall.
At the place where Reed tried to break me.
“I hope you remember something.”
Nobody moved.
“Rank isn’t what makes someone dangerous.”
A pause.
“Discipline does.”
Then I walked away.
But before the doors closed…
I heard Reed ask the officer one question.
A question filled with fear.
“Who is she?”
The officer answered quietly.
May you like
“You’re about to find out.”
📖 Chapter 9 reveals what Reed discovers about Elena’s background and why his version of the story begins falling apart. 👇
