Ace had always assumed it was a perfect system but now he wondered. It clearly didn't work for everyone or Cora wouldn't be so afraid of it.
She hadn't seemed afraid of him today. Probably because he had respected her wishes for the past couple of months and proved that he meant what he said the last time they talked in person.
That was good. He wanted to appear as unthreatening as possible.
He would never do anything to hurt her. He wanted her to know that. She may be fiercely independent to a fault but she also seemed like a small, scared animal underneath. She brought out his protective instincts.
Ace might not want to get involved in her drama but he did feel like he had to look out for her as much as he could. Even if it was something as simple as helping her decide on an egg dye kit to choose. He was such a sucker, wasn't he?
