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Boma felt the sting of Donovan's sharp words as they hung heavy in the air, his outburst leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. But as she watched him turn away, she sensed a shift in his demeanor, a softening of the rigid lines that had defined his posture moments before.

"I'm sorry," Donovan murmured, his voice tinged with remorse as he turned back to face her, his eyes clouded with a mixture of frustration and understanding. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just that you don't understand the system. He is my enemy. He can't be planning anything good for either of us. I will not sit down and watch him use you to get me because you will also be hurt in the process. I don't want any harm to come to you. I am responsible for you. Do you understand that?"

Boma watched the conflict play out across his features, his struggle with trying to be patient and understanding laid bare for her to see.

Despite his rough exterior, she knew that beneath it all, Donovan harbored a deep-s