[ it could have been anything but that question. absolutely anything.

at first, vie opens his mouth to immediately reply and finds the answer stuck in the back of his throat. it shouldn't be that hard to tell him any of this. vie keeps no secrets from jaejin and never has. not purposely, at least. and if there's anyone he could say these things to, it's the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. but given the current situation now, he wonders if that's a pointless thing to hold onto now that he's nothing but some plaything for the head of the amber house rather than an almost respected part of the family. ]

Sunni's father is a dangerous man. He knew that I– [ he swallows, the words like ashes in his mouth. ] If I left, he was going to kill Yves. At first, I thought everything in the envelope he gave me was about you, but it wasn't. And... I don't know. I panicked.

[ it sounds more like an excuse than an explanation, and vie wilts, pressing his face into his hands in an attempt to think more clearly. it doesn't help. he wants to be sick because it isn't fair. it isn't fair to him, and it's certainly not fair to jaejin. ]

I agreed to stay to keep him safe.