The words struck straight at Clarissa's most sensitive wound.
Her face stiffened, frost spreading across her features. A flicker of panic and bitterness flashed through her eyes before she could suppress it.
This was the truth she hated most.
She was willing to be Gabriel's woman for life, and while Gabriel was indeed intimate with her, he had never taken her home to introduce her to his family, never acknowledged her openly, never even given her a proper status. In the academy, no one dared to point it out because of Gabriel's power and influence.
But Zora had said it out loud. That too, in front of everyone.
"We'll be married soon," Clarissa forced out, her tone stiff and defensive, anger barely masking her insecurity.
"I see," Zora replied with a polite smile. "Then congratulations in advance."
The words sounded gentle, but to Clarissa, they were laced with naked sarcasm. She knew better than anyone how empty that promise was, yet she clung to it all the same.
