Chapter 71:
Julie's Point of View
I swallowed hard, and felt a coldness in my fingertips while his hand remained hanging in the air waiting for my response.
My heart was pounding against my ribs so loudly that I thought Karl could hear those racing beats.
I lowered my gaze toward his hand, then lifted it toward my mother's table in a fleeting glance; she was still absorbed in laughter with Gabriela,
her back to me, giving me a temporary sense of safety mixed with fear.
My hand moved very slowly, as if weighted by shackles, and I extended my trembling fingers to touch his palm.
As soon as his warm hand closed over my cold one, a shiver ran through my entire body.
This was the first time I had shaken hands with a strange man, and I felt as if I were committing a major crime.
Karl said with a calm smile in which I noticed the gleam of his white teeth:
"Don't worry, I don't bite."
