He stood with his back to her, tall and lean as ever, though perhaps a bit thinner now.
Briony Kensington watched him in silence.
Minutes slipped by without a word.
At last, Briony sighed a sound of release, almost relief.
"Stewart Wentworth, I've made my peace with everything. You shouldn't keep dwelling on the past, either."
Stewart paused, then turned to face her.
He crossed the room and knelt down in front of her, his long, narrow eyes fixed on hers, the corners rimmed with red.
She could tell he'd been crying.
"You've grown more sentimental than before," she said, her tone gentle, teasing, a hint of warmth in her voice.
Stewart's dark eyes reflected her own pale, drawn face.
"Bryn, I know there's no going back for us. After everything that's happened, I realize now how unforgivable so much of my behavior was. I put you through hell, and still, you chose to raise our two children on your own. For that alone, I could never repay you, not in a lifetime."
His voice was low and sincere.
of us came from happy homes. Let's learn from that. From now on, let's co-parent-give them both a mother's and a father's love, so they can have the safe, happy childhood we never did." Stewart looked at her, his gaze deep, shining with unshed tears. "Alright." She met his eyes, her own expression
"How so?"
"You're... more human, somehow."
at her for a
the medication I was on made
Briony nodded. "That's good."
like old friends, calm
children who had
another, and strive to become
they had a shared purpose now. The old
be friends or perhaps something like family,
...
Briony's condition had
to
her pregnancy—a scare
week of careful treatment,
drove Briony to the
escorted her to Mary's room, then stepped out
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