The hand that chokes (part 2)

The question hung in the air for a long moment.

Adela's hands twisted and untwisted around the bars as she contemplated her sister's words. She couldn't help but wonder if she, too, was part of that equation. Yet, she had no answer for Larissa, only more questions to ask her.

"...Are you absolutely certain about marrying Claude?" she finally inquired.

A smile played on Larissa's lips at the hesitancy in Adela's question, and she let out a sigh.

"Claude asked me the same question this morning, he poses it almost daily... I'm sure, yes. Maybe once I finally share a bed with another man, then..."

She let her words trail off, leaving the unspoken thoughts hanging in the air once again.

Adela patiently waited as Larissa's gaze returned to the moonlit sky, as if she needed a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing her train of thought.