's back, the acrid smell of bur

ff her jacket and ran to the back of the garage,

. cough,

as she extinguished the last

nearby, was comple

fast. Just as she was about to run, a s

espica

e throat, slapping her hard.

Smack!

hoed through the u

ed and swollen, a trickle of bl

ought you coul

ethany's hair and kicked

to

oice cut thro

ena off Bethany and scooping t

"Verena, you better pray she's unharmed. Otherwis

acted, as if he

ned, the ends charred and brittle, and

otice, his focus s

er feet and drove her

juries, she ran into th

ac

landed acro

o far! Bethany is your

knitted his brows as his ey

ndprint was impo

ition is stable now. Don't be angry. Verena isn't bad at

eating father until I was eight. You never changed my diapers, never spent a cent on me. Why should

ou

d, but Lanny pressed

ing authority. "No matter how spoiled Veren

y forcibly guid

d an ice pack for her face,

any, don't bother me.

aid, rubbing his temple. "She didn't do it intentionally. The doctors said the previous brain h

he bandage at the base of Veren

" Verena stared into his eyes. "See? You don't believe

hany," Lanny said, voice calm but serious. "Don'

"What if I deleted your six months of p

As long as you drop your pursuit a

momentarily

Lanny to concede thi

effort Lanny had poured into this paper, whi

n I won't

int lit

ng to be softh

n-filled room and nearly got her kille

orrow is our wedding. I'll try to love you

eluctance, as if loving Verena were

of his love to protect

didn't

eel pain again, but hearing that,

tending to delete it. Then she noticed

l object he discovered after Betha

isted in Ver

self, "Lanny, I don't love

ked her suitcase and

peared, "Vee, are you really done with that physicist? How about giv

typed a single No, and

l at 7 a.m., heading to the weddi

dding. She's crying, refusing t

d at his wat

k to the hospital, while a plane to Eu