"Many things." Her fingers pressed slightly harder against my chest. "Fear that you will fail the match and your father will erase you. Fear that the women in this room will eventually realize what you are and choose to leave. Fear that the system will go silent permanently and you will lose the only framework that explains why you exist in this body."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to deflect with humor or redirect with something clever. But Cheon's eyes held mine with an intensity that made lying feel impossible.
"Mostly I'm afraid of running out of time."
"The seven hundred days."
"The three weeks." I covered her hand with mine. Felt her pulse jump slightly at the contact. "The match is everything. If I don't win convincingly enough to secure the Vanguard contract, none of the rest of it matters."
"Then we ensure you win."
"Just like that?"
