There's nothing fair about it.

[ she hisses, leaning in to nose against his cheek and maybe hide from his eyes (for once) as she feels true words bubble up the back of her tongue. ] I suspect you know exactly how fragile the 'rule' really is. Give it a shove and it'll crumble.

[ give her a shove and she'll crumble, she means. but she's never said so before -- always hiding behind a guise of self-control and easy denial. ]