““I know you may not love me, Gabrielle, but I thought you had some affection for me. Perhaps I was wrong." His voice, gone quiet, was even scarier than his previous angry shouting. "You know better," Gabi said quietly. "I…I don't know if what we share is love. The word seems too mild to explain what I feel for you. It's not cute or schmaltzy or romantic. It scares me." Her voice had dropped to a whisper. "The thought of being without you, it's worse than contemplating death.””
