“No.”

“Then put a smile on your face.”

“I’d prefer to step outside for a moment, Warren.”

His expression darkened at once.

He hated that I never gave him the dramatic breakdown he wanted; for as long as I could remember, his sense of power had depended on his ability to make me cry, and I had stopped crying for him years ago, and he had never forgiven me for it.

“You always do this,” he growled softly.