Her lips parted, but save for the sound of a gasp here and there for breath, no noise escaped. Blinking rapidly, Sookie's gaze travelled to the ceiling, lingering there as blood pounded through her ears, as her cheeks seemed to tingle for lack of air, lack of feeling, the whole world numbing to the touch. Or maybe it wasn't a lack, but instead an overload. Guilt at having dug too deep, as it seemed that Sookie was wont to do on a regular basis, and had she the distance, she would've realized that it was all part and parcel of protecting herself, after all that she'd seen. But right then, she had to wonder if there was something wrong with her, why she couldn't learn to content herself with what she had, rather than always trying to reach for more.

Destroying everything along the way. A year, just like that.

A voice sounded in the back of her mind, reminding her of what Mitchell had done, reminding her that she wouldn't be able to remain in a relationship without trust, that the lack thereof had always been the greatest burden between Bill and herself. That he'd gotten angry at her countless times before, for keeping secrets from him, that everything she'd held to herself paled in comparison to this. A lack of balance would never work.

But all reason fell apart at his words, Sookie shaking her head, stepping forward again, as quickly as she could manage with her heart pounding in her throat, with the world spinning. "You're just sayin' this now, you're just sayin' this because you think it's the better way out. It's not. Mitchell, I love you, we can work this out. Please, just don't tell me—"

Her lips pressed shut.