"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.