Hector was a dog.
Hector was a DOG.
A talking dog.
It was impossible.
Hector ran out of the room and disappeared to his room, leaving Emerald to think about what had just happened.
It didn't make sense. The only thing that made sense was the reason he had worn the black cloth. But how was it possible that a talking dog could exist? Eventually, she came to the conclusion that anything was possible. That was the only explanation she could come up with.
Once she was finished thinking about it, she remembered that Hector had left the room. She went to his bedroom door and heard sobs from inside the room. She knocked and said, "Hector? Hector, please come out. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Please, talk to me. I'm so sorry."
When he didn't come out, she sat down on the floor beside the door. She waited.
Finally, the door slowly opened. Emerald looked up into Hector's red eyes and said, "I'm so sorry."
"I...I didn't want you to see me," he stated, struggling to speak.
"I understand now. I should have respected that. I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you."
Hector flinched when she said that. "Please, don't. It can never be. Look at me!"
"I don't care. I only care about your heart, and it's good. I'm sorry for hurting you, but I'm not sorry for loving you."
"Please, Emerald-"
Emerald suddenly kissed him before he could turn away. She held onto him for dear life. At first, Hector was tense, then he relaxed and let them enjoy the moment.
With teary eyes, Hector said, "For so long, I've been hiding, avoiding everyone. I will never be accepted by society, but if...if you love me, then I don't need anything else."
"I love you, Hector, but I don't want to hide forever. You shouldn't, either. You are so talented; there is so much you can offer the world. I won't leave you. Come on. Let's make a new life for ourselves."
"But..."
"Please? As long as we're together, we can face the world."
After a lot of time spent trying to convince Hector to merge with society with her, he finally agreed. They knew it was going to be a huge and difficult change, but they were both ready.