Silent.
Still.
Weapons lowered for now.
That “for now” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Hannah finally speaks again.
Barely above a whisper.
“What happened to my family?”
Wu studies her for a long moment.
And for the first time—
I see actual emotion flicker across his face.
Regret.
Tiny.
Gone instantly.
“Your father sold military intelligence to foreign buyers,” Wu says quietly. “Your mother attempted to expose him.”
The air leaves Hannah’s lungs.
Wu continues.
“They were both killed during extraction.”
“No.”
The word cracks out of her.
Raw.
Broken.
“No, my parents died in a fire—”
“You were told they died in a fire.”
Hannah physically recoils like he slapped her.
I catch her before she falls backward.
Her hands fist in my shirt instantly.
Hard.
Like she’s drowning.
Oh God.
Wu watches the reaction carefully.
