"Hate is a strong word… I'd say detest is a far more apt description of my feelings for her, wouldn't you?"
The words came in the form of jest, but Claire knew they were spoken as anything but. Karl-Franz was an exceptional actor, in fact, he had turned into a man she hardly recognized.
But those eyes… those were eyes that were confessing something far deeper than a mere improper comment made in levity.
Claire looked away, she didn't know why, but she felt compelled to. Her words were soft, shaken, and hesitant.
"I… I shouldn't be hearing this."
She tried to flee, but she suddenly felt her wrist grasped. The grip was controlled, but there was also no pressure. Almost as if the very gesture itself was not a demand, but an act of begging, even if his words were deliberately chosen to sound otherwise.
"That is exactly why you must… Claire…"
