His jaw ticked, but his hands remained gentle as he slowly drew down the zipper at the back of my dress. I shivered when the ruined garment dropped to the floor, leaving me in nothing but white lace underwear.

To my surprise, he didn’t remove them right away. He retrieved a brush and hair tie from the sink cabinet and quickly returned to me. Curiosity stirred in the depths of my detached state. I didn’t understand his strange actions, but I wouldn’t fight him. There was no point; he would inevitably win.

I slipped deeper into my composure, allowing my body to become gracefully poised and my expression to relax into something vacant and serene.

“Why are you doing that?” he asked, a sharp edge to the question.

I blinked up at him. “Doing what?”

He gestured at my body, my face. “This vapid doll act. Is it a passive aggressive guilt trip, or have I truly damaged you so deeply?” Those fine lines around his eyes deepened.

“This is how I always look,” I hedged, unease tightening my belly. No man had ever noticed that my composed mask was a lie.

His lips pressed into a grimace. “No. I’ve seen you, Nora. You’re far from vapid. You’re my wife. I want to understand you, so we can build a life together that isn’t miserable. I can’t make you happy if I don’t know how to read you.”

Surprise pierced my unease. “You want to make me happy?” I breathed.

Before, he’d said that happiness was my choice, as though he didn’t care one way or another.

He nodded. “I don’t want you to hate me. And I won’t play games with you. So I’ll ask you again: why do you put on that pretty doll act?”

I blew out a sigh. “It has nothing to do with you. I’m a dancer. I’m poised when I perform.”

His brow furrowed. “Perform?”

I shrugged. “That’s how I always act around men. It keeps me safe.”

“What do you mean? What men have made you feel unsafe? Alberto?” He scowled on my cousin’s name.

I gaped at him. “All men are dangerous.” How could he not know that? “If I ever displease my father, he has one of his guards punish me. Ballet taught me to be serene and composed. I learned a long time ago to draw on those lessons outside of the dance studio. If I don’t provoke anyone, they have no reason to hurt me.”