Chapter 9

• Silence fills the room for a couple of seconds. I’m thinking of a reason to divert his attention.
• “The painting!” I cry. “Uh... the girl in the painting, she’s beautiful. Who is she?” I ask, then swallow hard, praying he won’t remember what I’ve just said.
• How can I be so stupid? One doesn’t make comments expressing admiration for such a dangerous person. How could I even say those words so quickly? All I wanted was to know why he was hiding from the world when he had nothing to be ashamed of.