"No matter what happens, I''ll always be by your side. If you ever get tired, just lean on me. With me around, no one can hurt you," Marion reassured her.

    "We promised to walk this path together. So, if you ever get tired, you can lean on me too." Debra looked him in the eye. "I am a woman, but I''m strong enough to protect you."

    Marion chuckled and tapped her nose. "Silly girl. But if that day everes, do you think I''d just watch you charge ahead?"

    "Why not? Ever heard of that saying?"

    "Women are any less than men?"

    "Exactly."

    The morning breeze turned Debra''s cheeks pink, and she tightened her grip on Marion''s hand.

    "Are you afraid?" she asked him and herself as well.

    Back when she faced Jeffrey, she''d been scared. But knowing her friends were there gave her somefort.

    Lately, though, her dreams had been different. She kept seeing those masked figures from the Jovial Hotel. The ck curtains, the dim lights, the screams...

    She could only run from those hunters. It all felt so real, as if the cold de would reach over in the next instant and slice her throat.

    For once, he didn''t have an answer. Fear wasn''t something he experienced. He didn''t even know what it was supposed to feel like.

    The only time he''d ever felt like he

    was losing something was when Jeffrey told him that Debra was dead Debra was the reason be even tried to understand love.

    He had stood in front of a mirror, practicing how to smile over and over. He learned how to be gentle, jealoys, and anxious. He could demonstrate any of those emotions perfectly.

    But every time he looked at Debra, he felt like he was wearing a heavy mask. And behind that mask, he gave her all the affection that she wanted.

    For a brief second, he wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. It was just that his love was different.

    He wanted to tell her about his alexithymia. Emotions were a luxury he never had, but she was still the most important person in his heart.

    But when he met her gaze, the words died in his throat. Instead, he whispered, "I am afraid. Not of death but of losing you."

    "You won''t lose me." Debra took both his hands in hers and looked down at their wedding rings. "We''ll be together forever."

    She smiled, "Do you know why we wear wedding rings on the fourth finger?"

    "Why?"

    "Because this finger is connected to the heart. The moment we put these rings on, our hearts became one. That means we''re bound for life. So, if one day you go first, I''ll be @ght behind you."