[gods, if he had taken any longer, she’d have just thrown herself off the balcony out of shame. she winces at the questioning inflection in his tone — a knife in his gut of another kind.]

Y-you don’t have to lie if it’s not true, you know! I’m not gonna. Like. Set you on fire of anything! I just! [withering.] Just...wanted to know for sure if. I don’t know.

Better than just assuming, one way the other, okay!