Arc 4: Those Left Behind (Part 12)

‘I love you, too, Favilla. Always have, always will,’ he says. It’s as gentle as I’ve come to expect of him, as steadfast and sincere as I could ever wish for.

We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment, and then, as one, we say, ‘I’m sorry.’

We both pause, then open our mouths, then close them upon seeing our actions mirrored in one another.

‘You first,’ I say when I open my mouth again.

‘You have nothing to be sorry about,’ he says.

‘I do,’ I insist. ‘I’m sorry I did that to you. I didn’t mean to. You were never supposed to be the one to find me. I was—’ I pause, realising that it might not necessarily be the best path to follow. I start again: ‘I mean, I know I’m not Aura any longer, that she was the one who made the decision, that she was probably very ill and in a very bad place mentally, but I still feel responsible, somehow, for putting you through that. Please, let me apologise for that, at least.’

He seems to consider it for a moment, but then he nods, mind made up. ‘