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She couldn't come up with anything else to say, so she sat down next to Ethan and laid her head on his shoulder. He seemed startled at first, but didn't make any attempt to move her. After a moment, he relaxed slightly at her touch and put his arm around.

"I need to respect her wishes," he said after a few minutes.

"What do you mean?"

"She asked me to leave her alone," he replied. "To give her some space and distance so our bond could weaken."

"I don't think bonds work like that Ethan. It may never get stronger, but they don't go away."

"She thought if I bonded with you it might break the bond," Ethan said.

"Maybe," Beth replied. "I've never heard of a bond being broken that way. I suppose it might, but it just seems more likely to create a second bond.

"I suppose two bonds would be better than not bonding with my wife, right?"

She nodded. "I'd rather it break your bond with her but..." Beth trailed off.

She really didn't want her husband bonded to another woman, even if it was someon