She pouted, rushing to hug me.

With a look of grievance, she said, "Don't take what I said yesterday to heart. I didn't mean it!"

I retorted unkindly, "You didn't mean it? Come on, you totally meant it. You're just explaining yourself, and explanations are just lies."

I deliberately exposed her, "Deep down, you thought I would favor Trinity. Honestly, if you tap into your conscience and ask yourself about it, you'll know I've been quite lenient toward you."

Ivanna whispered, "I know you're good to me, but I feel like it's different with Jared this time."

"I told Atlas that if he could contact Jared, I'd ask him to call you. But even Atlas can't reach him right now. So just relax and wait for a message from him. That's your best option right now," I said bluntly, heedless of whether she could accept it.

"If you love him, you need to make some sacrifices, especially in times like these. You can’t appear to be irrational and make him feel like you're unreasonable or just causing tro