Chapter 130 Beneath The Surface

• "Alara...". His speech was tight, as though he were fighting both me and himself. "This is not some romantic love. It's not some fairytale where everything comes around at last. This is accurate. And in the actual world, folks suffer.
• I inhaled a wobbling note. The words probe farther than I had anticipated. Every bit of me wanted to look away, let the anxiety overtake me, to simply walk out of this disaster and pretend I hadn't been caught in it. Still, I had something inside that would not give up. Backing out now was too late. I already was too deep in.
• "You're not the one who gets to decide my fate," I said, voice steady this time. "You cannot break some delicate thing like me. You should be more concerned about yourself if anything. Since I intend to keep on backing forth."