The silence that followed was the kind you could cut with a knife.
Luka's face went through about eight different expressions in the span of three seconds. Confusion. Disbelief. Anger. More anger. The specific shade of protective fury that made B-Rank Hunters reach for their weapons.
"The president was in my house."
"Yes."
"The president of Valoria sat at my table."
"Yes."
"And you sent me to the other side of the city on a wild goose chase."
"Yes."
"Why."
My mother finally turned around. Her eyes met his, steady and unflinching, and I watched something pass between them. Twenty years of marriage. Twenty years of trust. Twenty years of building a life together from scratch after both of them had already failed at it once.
