Chapter 117

"I'm so sorry, John," she said and burst into tears. She had been holding them back and simply couldn't keep the emotion at bay any longer. "I should have known. I wanted it to be ours so badly anyway! I have just fucked all of this up so spectacularly!"

I put down my glass and hugged her.

"You did not," I said with conviction. "It was an impossible situation. You did what you thought was best. I'm not mad about it. I don't blame you. I don't think you're at fault for anything!"

"I lost more than a year with you," she said.

"Maybe," I said. Now it was my turn to pause. "Or maybe you took the time you needed to decide what you want the rest of your life to look like." I was hopeful.

"I hadn't thought about it like that," she said and dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

"I never stopped loving you, Kitty Kat," I said. "Not for