Once they were in the car and the air conditioning had brought the temperature to a comfortable level, Crystal gave Eric a stern look and said, "I'd like to have this necklace off. I don't belong to you, and I don't like people thinking that I do."
Eric laughed cruelly. "Forget it," he said. "It looks good on you. Besides, you may not belong to me now, but you will. You'll see."
He leaned back, pulled out a cigarette from a pack in his pocket, and casually lit it up. He brought the fog to his mouth and inhaled.
"Nathan and I are married," Crystal said earnestly.
Immediately after hearing these words, Eric began to choke, and smoke billowed out of his nose and mouth. His mind rejected her words, despite their ring of truth. Finally, though, he forced himself to come to terms with what she'd said. Petulantly, he whined: "I don't mind. Why would l?"
