SAGE


    Titus''s voice was sharp andced with usation as he stepped ebser, his every movement controlled but filled with restrained anger. "I was wondering," he began, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "how the hell your ex-boyfriend managed to beat us here with such obvious knowledge of why we came in the first ce."


    I could see where this was going, and it infuriated me. I refused to let him drag me into his baseless usations. Crossing my arms, I stood my ground. "I don''t know what you''re trying to say," I said firmly, my voice cool and steady.


    "Oh, don''t y innocent with me," he shot back, his eyes narrowing as he closed the distance between us, "You''re the one feeding your little boyfriend the information, aren''t you?"


    His words hit like a p, and I felt my temper re. Scoffing, I met his using gaze head-on. "And what exactly do you think I''d gain from doing something like that?" I snapped, my irritation boiling over.


    Titus''s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides, but he didn''t back down. His silence only added to my frustration, the tension between us crackling like a live wire.


    Titus leaned in slightly, his towering frame casting a shadow over me as his eyes burned with suspicion. "I don''t know," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Maybe you''re nning to betray me. There''s probably something between you two. I wouldn''t be surprised." His usation hit like a p, but I stood my ground, refusing to let him see the turmoil inside me. "Are you serious right now?" I asked, my voice rising in frustration. "You think I''d betray you for... for what?"


    Titus took a step closer, his eyes narrowing as his words came out like a snarl. "Who knows? But then again, how can you exin it, Sage? Why is your ex-boyfriend here, and how does he know things about our mission?"


    I threw my hands in the air, the frustration boiling over. "I don''t have an exnation, Titus! But that doesn''t mean I''m the one feeding him information. Do you really think I''d side with anyone against you?"


    He scoffed, his anger simmering just below the surface. "You''re awfully defensive for someone who ims to be innocent."


    My chest tightened, the usation slicing through me like a de. "Defensive?" I echoed, my voice trembling with the effort to stay calm. "You''re using me of betraying you with no proof, Titus. Of course, I''m defensive!" Titus stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms. "No proof?" he said, his tone sharp. "His presence alone was more than enough proof. If it wasn''t you, then who told him?"


    I clenched


    my


    fists at my sides, fighting the urge to yell. "I don''t know, Titus! But it wasn''t me! Why can''t you believe that?" "He''s your ex, Sage! Who''s to say you''re not loyal to him anymore?" he snapped, his voice rising. "That''s not fair!" I shot back, my voice shaking with emotion. "Holt and I were like a family, yes! But that doesn''t prove anything!"


    His jaw clenched, and for a moment, he didn''t respond. The tension between us was suffocating. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice low but cutting. "I don''t care what''s going on between the two of you. What I don''t like is him at my and you... defending him." throat


    I took a shaky breath, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions threatening to break free. "I''m not defending him," I said quietly. "I''m trying to make you see that ming me without reason isn''t going to solve anything. I''ve done nothing wrong, Titus. But if my word means so little to you, then maybe I shouldn''t bother. And if you don''t trust me, I don''t know what I am still doing here."


    His words hit me harder than I expected, cutting deeper than I cared to admit. His eyes stayed locked on mine, hard and


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    unyielding, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something-regret, hesitation, maybe even guilt-but it was gone before I could be sure.


    "I don''t have any reason to trust you. I don''t know you," Titus sa, his tone t and cold.


    The truth felt like a punch to my gut, knocking the wind out of me. I forced a bitter smile onto my face, trying to mask the sting of his words. "Right," I said quietly, my voice strained. "I almost forgot about that." My hands clenched at my sides as I tried to keep my emotions in check. "If you don''t want me here, just say the word. I can leave."


    He red at me, his expression unreadable, his silence heavy with unspoken tension. The air between us felt thick, suffocating. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke


    "I don''t care what you do," he said, his voice low and cutting. "Just stay out of my way."N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Without another nce, Titus turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the silence.


    I stood frozen in ce, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a physical force. My eyes followed him as he retreated down the hall, his shoulders stiff and his movements deliberate. He didn''t even nce back, leaving me alone with the hollow ache spreading through my chest. As he disappeared into his room, I let out a shaky breath, my hands trembling slightly. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady myself. My mind raced with everything that had just happened, every sharp word and piercing look reying over and over. He didn''t remember me. And maybe he didn''t care to.


    Swallowing hard, I pushed myself off the wall and turned back toward my door. But the heavy ache in my chest stayed with me, a reminder that the Titus I once knew-the one I trusted, the one I fought beside-might nevere back.