Twisted

Julian studies the will he has forged in Yasmin’s name; it leaves everything to Julian. He feels gratified when Yasmin joins him on the plane, bringing her camera. When she falls asleep, Julian takes her to the bedroom and falls asleep beside her. When they wake, Julian touches her, thinking, “I’d rather keep her in this bubble we’ve created […] and we can pretend, even for a little bit, that this is more than what it is” (287). When he asks her again, “Are you mine?” (288) and she doesn’t answer, he leaves her alone in the bed.

As they drive to the compound, Yasmin wrestles with Julian’s question. She wants to say yes, but “It isn’t fair. Not when he’s taken away the choice entirely. I’m his whether I want to be or not” (290). Seeing him be cold again, she realizes how he’s begun to change with her. She knows he’s not morally upstanding, but her feelings for him are real, and she finally admits to herself that she cares for him. She tells him she’s his, but he doesn’t believe her yet.