That one little word was enough to make Anne sway in her conviction for a moment. Perhaps because it hadn't been very strong to begin with. Because doubt and defiance were already eating away at the corners of her reality. Because she couldn't pick the sides of all the people she loved simultaneously. Lory's reference to men's tempers only pulled more ground from underneath her. Yet she opened her mouth to argue back and reach for safety, for to stare down into the abyss at the naked truth was too much for her.

She didn't get to argue back, for Lory continued. Anne was unaware of how she stepped back as Lory stepped towards her. "No," she said in horror, as she realized that she had been picking the fruits of Lory's degradation. She felt sick with herself. Sick with the world. She stared at her cousin, no longer in anger or sadness, but with guilt and pity. "Lory." was all she was able to utter.