Leo's gaze became clear.
"But I refuse to be the sacrifice."
He understood Sanders's position, but he couldn't accept this outcome.
He hadn't taken this office just to become a sacrificial lamb.
He had three hundred thousand Pittsburgh citizens behind him—workers waiting for paychecks, seniors waiting to repair their homes.
Their survival was more important than Sanders's principles.
Leo took a deep breath and spoke into the phone, his voice perfectly calm.
"Senator, I understand your concerns."
"But I have to go."
"If I can't even save my own city, if I let my citizens face ruin in the bitter cold, then I have no right to speak of principles, nor any right to be the standard-bearer for the Progressives."
"I can't stand by and watch Pittsburgh die because of my purity."
"I must go."
A dead silence fell on the other end of the line.
Sanders said nothing.
He heard the unshakeable resolve in Leo's voice.
