"You're already a married man, Jasper. Does this act of yours really seem appropriate?"
Every muscle in his body locked. The flawless mask cracked, fracture by fracture.
Hilda grabbed her suitcase and headed for the door, but Jasper yanked her back so hard she nearly fell.
"That's not it, Hilda. You've got it wrong. Just let me explain."
"I never wanted to marry her. I swear. My parents forced me. I had no choice!"
He swiped at his tears. "I love you. I only love you. Please believe me."
Hilda stared at him, her gaze ice-cold. Then, without a word, she reached out and tore open the buttons of his shirt.
A sprawl of red marks covered his skin, unmistakable.
"Jasper, I don't dare believe you anymore."
Jasper's expression shifted. He scrambled to cover his neck with his hand, panic written across his face.
Hilda's look of pure disgust cut through him. He clutched his collar and snarled, "Do you really have to do this, Hilda?"
"I really am in a difficult position. Why won't you believe me?"
"It was just this once, I swear. It was an accident. It'll never happen again."
"I know you hate me, but you still have your grandma. Think about her, will you? I've been paying every cent of her medical bills. If we break up, what happens to her?"
"And I've wanted to bring you home to meet my family, I really have. But Hilda, people have hang-ups about death. How am I supposed to explain what you do for a living?"
"I'm under a lot of pressure too, but I've never once asked you to sacrifice anything for me, have I? Can't you at least try to understand?"
Half confession, half excuse. But Hilda could no longer tell the difference.
His voice sliced through her skull like a serrated blade, and the pain blurred her vision.
Jasper lost patience. He lunged forward and snatched her suitcase.
The sudden yank sent Hilda stumbling. Her vision went black, and her legs gave out beneath her.
She dreamed.
She dreamed of Jasper holding her hand as they skipped class to watch the sunset over the ocean, swearing in the perfect silence that he would love her for the rest of his life.
She dreamed of Jasper stepping in to fight off some thugs for her, getting hurt in the process, wincing through the pain while still telling her not to cry.