Isabel stared at him. Her mouth opened, then closed. She furrowed her brows, blinking like she hadn’t heard him correctly. Her hands dropped slowly to her sides, fingers curling slightly.

“What?” she asked, voice tight.

Isaac didn’t react. He let go of her waist, stood still, one hand slipping into his pocket, his jaw set. His face didn’t shift, blank like always.

“I’m not afraid you’ll break the contract,” he said, “I’m afraid that if you keep doing things like ...