Page 304 of Scarbound

“No.”

“Did you make him hurt you?”

Noeul stopped. His eyes dropped. “No.”

Dr. Kim waited. “Then what exactly did you betray?”

Noeul’s mouth opened. Nothing came. He looked irritated. “I don’t know.”

“That may be worth sitting with.”

He exhaled. After a while, he said, “I betrayed the version of us he wanted.”

Dr. Kim looked at him.

“The twin thing,” Noeul continued slowly.

“What twin thing?”

“That we had to be everything to each other.” His fingers moved toward Gong’s ring. “He hated anything that came between us.”

“People?”

“People.”

“Your independence?”

Noeul nodded.

“Ji-Woo.”

Another nod.

“Haneul.”

His hand stopped against the ring. “Yes.”

“Your body?”

Noeul closed his eyes. “Yes.”

Dr. Kim’s voice remained calm. “So when you say you betrayed him, what you may mean is that you stopped submitting to the relationship Gong demanded.”

Noeul looked at her. “That sounds cruel.”

“To whom?”

“To him.”

“Was refusing to belong to him cruelty?”

Noeul said nothing. Dr. Kim waited.

Finally, he said, “No.”

“Was allowing him to be hospitalized because he was dangerous betrayal?”

Noeul’s eyes filled again. “No.”