The shock on Hylton's face only lasted a few seconds . Then , as if he had been played , a flash of anger rose to his face , though he quickly forced it down and replaced it with a look of feigned tolerance . " Lina , don't make a scene , okay ? " he said with the helpless tone one might use to coax a child . He took a step forward , trying to come closer , the rose stem in his hand swaying meaninglessly . " I know what happened before made you feel wronged . " He sounded as if he were doing me a favor . " We were doing just fine before . Have you forgotten how long we've been together ? All those happy times ... " He began to list our past memories , his voice gentle . But his gaze was evaluating , as if he were calculating how much patience it would take to fix my " childish " outburst . " I know maybe ... something bad happened while you were away , and you got led astray . " He paused , looking as though he were in deep pain . " But it's okay , Lina . As long as you're willing to change , I ... " He took a deep breath and put on an air of righteous authority . " I can give you a chance . We can start over , okay ? " He looked at me , eyes full of " generosity " , as if I should be grateful . Everything I went through , the scars on my body , the resolve in my heart at this moment , was nothing more than a childish tantrum , something he could dismiss with a wave of his hand . And he was the saint who would " save " me from the " wrong path " . I looked at his patient , righteous face that was filled with persuasive nonsense . I found this absurdity a ridiculous madness . The nausea in my stomach churned again , and I forced it down .