Surrogate.

as they neared the house, her gut started twisting. how should she handle their parting? if she said nothing, it will lead to his disbelieve in her capability. always waiting for an excuse to pop in, only to leave feeling disappointed. but what was the alternative, telling him what he wanted to hear but not making a difference? she couldn't handle listening to his pleas, selfish maybe, but everyone hurt too much these days to feel a little empathy towards each other. she didn't want to disappoint, yet often misled him into thinking otherwise.

取り扱い。