Roman shook his head sharply and pushed to his feet, the movement abrupt enough to make the bed creak behind him.
"No," he blurted, the word coming out harsher than he intended. "I can't be banned."
He began to pace again, his steps uneven, one hand dragging through his hair as if he could physically pull his thoughts into order. The room felt too tight, the air too hard to breathe through.
If he didn't want to go to the panel… He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to think. The option hovered there, ugly and tempting.
Then he shook his head again, more firmly this time. "No. Taking Father's offer would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire," he muttered, his voice low. "That's a terrible idea."
He slowed, tapping his lips with his index finger as he tried to think past the noise in his head. "There has to be another way."
