"My sweetie's gonna fix it," he says, cuddling up and pressing his face into her shoulder. "It's gonna be okay."

It does not feel okay. It feels like his heart is being ripped out of his chest, continually, tearing and pulling but never breaking free. But since he knows from experience that what Isabella's feeling is even worse, he stays right where he is. Going along would fuck the whole thing up, that much was clear. He does not want to fuck this up.