‘‘I don’t ever want to see you marked like this again.’’ My heart stops beating, and he seems to cringe at his words, stepping back suddenly, almost as soon as they are out of his mouth, and ultimately letting me go. It’s like watching a curtain fall, and that gentle glimpse of something shuts hard and fast as his face smooths over. He seems momentarily at a loss, and I guess he didn’t mean to say it.

‘‘Let’s go back to the club; you should go to bed with pain ...