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Calm meant she had thought.

I stood.

She noticed. “You don’t have to.”

I remained standing. “I know.”

She looked at me for a moment, then toward the table. “Did you find anything?”

“No.”

A pause.

“About the Veil?”

“No.”

Another pause.

“About yourself?”

That stopped me.

I looked at her.

She folded her arms loosely.

Not defensive.

Waiting.

I could lie.

Not directly.

I could redirect. Explain operational obligations. Security exposure. Compartmentalization.

All of those things were true.

They were also no longer enough.

“You were right.”

Her expression shifted. “About what?”

“Part of why I did not take you to Anik was operational.”

She waited.

I continued. “Part of it was not.”

The words felt wrong in my mouth.

Too exposed.

Still, I kept going.

“I did not want him to know I was alive.”