The question was direct, offered without pressure. It carried the understanding that what came next would not be easier, only heavier.
Trafalgar turned his head toward her immediately.
"No," he said, the answer coming without hesitation. He pushed himself up slightly on the bed, resting his weight on his elbows, eyes sharp and focused in a way they had not been before. "We're not stopping now." His voice was calm, but there was control in it, the kind that came from deciding something inwardly and refusing to step back from it. "You said you'd answer my questions. I'm taking you at your word."
He drew in a slow breath, then continued, steering the conversation himself.
"Let's talk about my mother," he said. "Since we're already circling her."
