biting, whipping strands o

er to stop. She leaned against a cold lamppost, gasping f

f the restaurant

el!

ce a mask of indignation. Corinna trotted behind hi

wrist. His grip w

el said. Her voice

ing to you," Fielding snarled. "You embarrassed me

arm back. "You embarrassed yourself,

hy is your mind so twisted? Corinna ha

nd. "She calls me a cripple to my face, Fielding

e. "The ring.

inger at Corinna. "Show him the ring, Corinna. Show him

paranoid. Fielding gave this to me because... because I've

rld-her husband had been a brute, or so she said, and her divorce was a tragedy that required his strength to fix. He s

nk diamond?" Ariel looked at Fielding. "Do yo

g to the people watching on the sidewalk. "I have taken care of yo

your guilt!" A

oed off the s

u looked at my leg, you remembered that you were th

f she had slapped him.

Was that an accident too?" Ariel stepped clos

asped. "E

im, stroking his ego, pretending you're so fragile so

and buried her face in Fielding's chest.

went black. He

lex. A flash

idn't cower. She stared st

d. "Hit me. Finish th

and trembled

h. A passerby stopped

at Ariel's face. He saw no fear.

slowly, defeated b

he muttered. "

p," Ariel said. "

e air between them,

. you can't survive with

tch

ed up to the curb,

pened t

," Fielding warned, "do

istance, then at the man she had dragged out of a burni

e backseat and s

she told

away, she looked in

Corinna clinging to his arm. He l

ed out h

t: Fie

k Ca

een wen

b was the loudest thi