Hilda wrenched her hand free. "Don't touch me. You make me sick."
Jasper's breathing turned ragged. His expression crumbled, inch by inch.
"Families like mine, this is how it works. You know I don't have a choice. But no matter what happens, you're the only one I've ever loved!"
"Marriage is just a title. Everything with anyone else is fake. You're the only thing that's real."
As he spoke, he pulled a necklace from his pocket, identical to hers. "See? I carry it with me everywhere."
"Grandma wanted us to be happy together. Hilda, please don't be angry anymore."
Hilda held out her hand to him.
Joy surged through Jasper. He thought she'd softened. But the next second, the smile froze on his face.
"Jasper, give me back the necklace my grandmother gave you."
"It was something she left for me and the person I love. Seeing it in your hands now just makes me sick."
Jasper fought against it, clinging to her as he sank to his knees on the pavement, stripped of every shred of pride.
"Hilda, you're just saying that because you're angry, right? Hilda, you promised me. You promised you'd never break up with me."
"Please, I'm begging you, don't leave me."