His expression didn’t change, but I noticed the slightest clench of his jaw. “You must be mistaken,” he said, his tone carefully controlled.

“No, I’m not,” I insisted, my voice gaining strength. “Why are you pretending?”

There was a long pause, the air between us heavy with unspoken truths and unanswered questions. Finally, he sighed, a sound loaded with years of burdens and secrets. He looked away, out the window where the night sky was a sea of darkness dotted with stars.