Page 93 of King of Ruin

He said the name with obvious skepticism before shaking his head.

"I don't think he's a good man."

A tired sigh escaped her.

"You've never met him."

"Exactly."

He spread his hands in frustration.

"Don't you think that's strange?" His eyes locked onto hers. "You're living with him. You're talking about marrying him. Yet your own brother has never met him."

His voice lowered, becoming more earnest than angry.

"If he really cared about you, wouldn't he want to know the people who matter to you? Wouldn't you have introduced us by now?"

"You're overthinking."

"I'm not."

"You are."

She cut him off before he could argue again, her tone leaving little room for discussion.

"I'll introduce the two of you when the time is right. Until then, stop imagining problems that don't exist."

He looked unconvinced.

She didn't give him the chance to object.

"And right now, you need to go home."

"But—"

"No."

The single word stopped him.

"You haven't graduated yet," she continued, her voice practical, almost detached. "You don't have a stable job, you don't have enough savings to support yourself, and you don't have a place of your own. Running away isn't going to solve anything."

She finally looked him in the eye again.

"If you don't want to live with them anymore, then finish college first. Find a job. Save your money. Build a life you can stand on by yourself."

She paused just long enough for the words to settle.

"I can't do that for you, Logan."

The younger man stared at her in silence, disappointment written plainly across his face.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

The sounds of traffic drifted past them, the evening breeze stirring the loose strands of Elise's hair as she stood her ground, refusing to let the ache in her chest show on her face.

No matter how much it hurt, pushing him away was still the only way she knew how to protect him.

Logan's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, the disappointment on his face impossible to hide. For a long moment, he simply stood there, staring at Elise as though hoping she would change her mind if he waited long enough.