At that mont, as Cora still held Oliver from behind, her voice softened with a mix of guilt and emotion that trembled through each word she spoke.
"I don't know how you're going to take this," she began, her arms tightening gently around his waist, "and honestly, I don't even know if saying all of this will change anything. But I need to say it."
Oliver didn't move. He stood still, silent, listening.
Cora took a deep breath and continued, her voice filled with regret. "Everything I did from the beginning… it wasn't to push you away. I was just trying to protect myself. Trying to wear this mask of a strong, independent woman who didn't need anyone, not even you. I thought if I stayed distant, if I handled things on my own, then I wouldn't get hurt."
A brief silence followed. Then she whispered, "But I was wrong."
"I do have feelings for you, Oliver. Strong ones. Real ones. And the truth is, I didn't want to show it because I was scared. I saw you as soone I should be protecting. Soone I should always be looking out for. I didn't realize… I didn't realize you were already doing that for silently. Strongly. Without asking for anything in return."
Her voice cracked slightly as she went on. "You were always there. When I doubted you… when I thought you were just watching from the sidelines… you were already fighting my battles behind the scenes. While I was stressing over Robert, thinking I had no one else to trust, you were there, being the real protector, the real friend, the real partner."
Oliver slowly closed his eyes.
Cora continued, her voice heavy with remorse. "What I did with Robert… it wasn't right. If I had just co to you, if I had just asked, opened up, maybe things wouldn't have gone the way they did. But I was stubborn. I wanted to prove that I could stand alone. And in doing that, I shut out the one person who was never trying to compete with , but only trying to stand beside ."
She paused, her forehead resting against his back. "I'm sorry, Oliver. For everything. For not seeing you. For not trusting you. For not thanking you when I should have. You didn't deserve the way I acted. And now I realize… I wasn't trying to prove I could do things without you. I was just afraid of needing you too much."
At that mont, Oliver slowly turned around. His eyes softened the mont he saw Cora's tear-filled gaze. Her lashes were wet, and the tears had carved delicate trails down her cheeks. She wasn't sobbing just silently overwheld, as if all the emotions she'd buried deep inside had finally surfaced in a gentle wave.
Without saying a word, Oliver stepped closer and gently patted her head, the way one would comfort soone they deeply cared about. His hand slid down to brush the loose strands of hair away from her face before using his thumb to wipe the tear near her eye. Then he reached for the tear tracing her cheek and wiped that too—slowly, like he was erasing the pain between them one stroke at a ti.
"All that…" Oliver finally said in a soft voice, "…is in the past now."
His tone held no bitterness. Only tiredness. A tiredness that ca from carrying the weight of unspoken feelings and silent sacrifices.
"I don't want to live in the pain anymore," he continued. "I want to start sothing new with you, Cora. I want us to leave all that behind and begin again. I want a fresh start. Just… you and . No secrets, no distance."
Then he looked at her really looked. "But the question is… are you ready?"
Cora blinked, and more tears welled up, though she held them back this ti. She didn't hesitate. She nodded with quiet determination.
"Yes," she said. "I'm ready. I'm aware now—fully. I know it's not going to be perfect, but I'm not afraid of it anymore."
She paused, then added softly, "Now that I know my father actually likes you, and you…" she gave a faint smile through her tears, "…you've always been the one I liked too."
Hearing that, Oliver gave a small smile of his own, his shoulders relaxing slightly. For the first ti in a while, the air between them felt light. Honest. And maybe… just maybe… hopeful.
But just as that mont settled into sothing warm, sothing healing—Cora's phone suddenly began to ring.
At that mont, Cora hesitated, still holding her phone loosely in her hand, as if even touching it would ruin the peace she had just found with Oliver. Her brows slightly furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't want to answer," she muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible.
Oliver looked at her calmly and gave a soft nod. "Cora… just pick it up. You never know it might be sothing important," he said gently. "Don't let unanswered calls turn into regrets."
She sighed. Her fingers curled tightly around the phone before she eventually unlocked the screen. Seeing Malisa's na flashing across the screen only deepened her reluctance. Her face dropped slightly, clearly annoyed, but the tone in Oliver's voice left her no room to keep ignoring it.
She answered flatly, "Malisa, what's going on? Why are you calling now?"
No ti for pleasantries. Cora's voice was sharp guarded. She had no energy for unnecessary talk.
On the other end of the call, Malisa sounded tense. "Cora," she said quickly, "Lovi just called. He found sothing sothing important about Mr. B. He says we need to set up an urgent eting. Right now. He wants us to act fast before anything slips away."
Cora closed her eyes and let out a small breath through her nose. A part of her felt the urgency in Malisa's tone, but a larger part of her the side that had just been held in Oliver's arms felt nothing but tired. Exhausted. Finished.
With a calmness that surprised even her, she responded, "No. Cancel it."
Malisa was stunned. "What?"
"I said cancel it," Cora repeated, firr this ti. "Everything about Mr. B. Tell Lovi to stop digging. The investigation is over. The mission is canceled. I don't need it anymore."
Malisa went silent on the other end, clearly trying to process what she had just heard.
Cora looked at Oliver, her heart oddly steady for once. Her voice softened. "I know everything I need to know already."
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