Yu's sobs softened in Callen's arms, not gone entirely but less jagged, less choking. His body shivered as if each tear wrung something out of him, until finally the storm slowed and he could breathe again. He leaned back slightly, enough to lift his head and look at Callen with hazel eyes swollen from crying, lashes wet.
"I don't want him."
Yu whispered, voice hoarse.
"But I'm being forced into it. Theo's grandfather already agreed to an engagement— it's already in motion. I can't…"
His throat closed on the words, and fresh tears threatened, but he held them back with a trembling inhale.
"I can't step away. Not yet."
Something in Callen snapped. The warmth in his expression iced over in an instant, and the playful gleam that usually danced in his eyes went dark. His jaw set, his shoulders squared—the mask of the spoiled Wright heir dropped, replaced with the cold, sharpened edge of the man he'd been trained to be.
"Then I'll tear it apart."
