[Dante]
"Then marry me."
I didn't know how or why, but the words left my lips before I could think them over.
For some reason, hearing Bianca say she had nothing to live for... hearing her so casually choose death after everything she'd survived—it was harder to stomach than I thought it would be.
"Marry me, Bianca," I repeated, louder this time. I didn't have a ring, I didn't have a plan, but the details didn't matter. What mattered was that she stayed alive.
Marriage wasn't something I'd ever considered, at least not for a long time. To me, it was bondage. Chains disguised as vows. Children were loud, clingy distractions. A wife was a constant demand for emotions I wasn't willing to give. Both things I'd spent my life avoiding.
I preferred efficiency. Clean breaks. No strings attac
