Henri feels the world closing in around him, but he takes a deep breath and answers with a calmness born of pain, not courage.

“You can yell all you want, sir, but I’m not leaving. I didn’t come here to fight. I came because I refuse to abandon her now.”

His words come out steady, backed by a raw truth that neither Damião nor anyone else can deny.

For a moment, silence takes over—heavy, loaded with unspoken emotions. Damião’s face turns red, his jaw clenched. He looks ready to explode.

That’s w