Arthur formally introduced Ashley to Mia and Sage. “Sage, Mia—this is my fiancée, Ashley.” Then, turning to Ashley, he added with equal seriousness, “Ashley, these are my seniors, Sage and Mia.” Arthur’s tone was so earnest it almost sounded like an official announcement. He still remembered what happened in the abandoned building—how he'd been forced to say things that might’ve upset Ashley. She had looked like she was angry. Ever since, he’d been going out of his way to show her how much he cared. If they hadn’t been surrounded by people the whole way back, he would’ve clung to her long ago. Right now, the only thing on his mind was: Please, just leave and give us a moment alone. But he couldn’t say that out loud. Mia teased with a grin, “Wow—such a grand introduction, and you’re not even married yet.” Now that they were sure everyone was safe, the tension had lifted enough for them to joke a little. Ashley flushed immediately at Mia’s teasing. Mia noticed and burst into laughter. “Hahaha—Ashley, why do you blush so easily?” At that, everyone turned to look at Ashley. Her face grew even redder. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to disappear into the floor. Arthur, knowing his fiancée couldn’t handle teasing, immediately stepped in front of her like a shield, willingly becoming the next target. “Mia, cut it out. She’s shy,” he said resolutely. Even Arthur, usually so shameless, felt a little awkward with this many teachers and upperclassmen around. The group chatted a while longer before they finally dispersed. And as soon as the door closed behind them, Arthur couldn’t hold back any longer—he threw his arms around Ashley.“Ashley, back in the building—I didn’t mean what I said. Don’t listen to a word Solivair said!” His voice was tight with tension. When facing life-or-death moments with Solivair, Arthur had remained impressively calm. But the moment something concerned Ashley—even the chance that she might be upset—he panicked. That was the strange magic of falling in love. When two people were in love, they cared so deeply about each other’s feelings—every little thing mattered. That… was love. Ashley blinked, puzzled. “Back in the building? What did you do?” Arthur had done and said so many things that day, but she couldn’t recall anything that would have made her angry. Arthur paused. “When Solivair held the knife to your face…” Just thinking about it made him shiver. What if Solivair had truly lost it? What if that knife had cut Ashley’s face? Arthur didn’t even want to imagine it. The idea of her getting hurt—of seeing her bleed, of her being left with a scar that made her self-conscious—it made him feel sick. Worse, what if Solivair had gone even further and put the blade to her throat? Arthur didn’t dare let the thought play out. If anything had happened to her… he’d never forgive himself for the rest of his life. Only he knew how tightly he had clenched his fists at that moment. It had taken everything in him not to explode, not to leap forward recklessly. Even now, back in the dorm, his hands still trembled from the memory. Ashley was stunned. She could feel how deeply affected Arthur was.Without hesitation, she pulled him into a hug and gently patted his back in comfort. Her voice was soft, but serious. “Arthur, I never blamed you. I know how scared you must’ve been. I said what I did to distract Solivair, to throw him off. You didn’t take that seriously, did you?” Seeing Arthur like this—still so shaken—broke her heart. Arthur looked up, eyes uncertain. “Really? You’re really not mad?” Ashley couldn’t help but laugh. “Why would I lie? After everything we’ve been through, I trust you more than anyone. I know you care about me. I know how hard that must’ve been for you. There’s no way I’d ever blame you.” Back in high school, when Arthur had been framed by Tia and she hadn’t believed him right away, Ashley had felt guilty for a long time. It was then she learned how vital trust was. In a relationship, nothing mattered more than unconditional trust. And she… was willing to trust him completely.