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He offered me his arm, and we walked out the door.

We stayed quiet, only greeting various staffers as we passed them.

By the time we took the stairs to the upper residence, my stomach was in knots, and any tingle of arousal from our office interlude had disappeared.

“Ashur?” I said as we took the hall leading to the Yellow Oval Room, where our parents waited.

“Yes?” We paused outside the doors.

“Are you sure you want to do this? We could announce we eloped and everyone would go home.”

He looked down at me, tucked a stray hair behind my ear, and said, “Absolutely. You’re the only woman I’ve ever considered marrying, and I can’t wait for you to officially belong to me.”