Now I was standing in front of her, refusing to surrender anything.
“You’ll regret this,” she whispered.
“No. I regret staying as long as I did.”
She turned and hurried down the steps.
Her car pulled away so quickly that the tires squealed at the corner.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then I turned to Diane.
“I’m sorry. I never wanted her bringing this into your life.”
Diane shook her head.
“She’s responsible for her own behavior, Ethan. You don’t have to carry it for her.”
“She might come back.”
“Then we’ll deal with it.”
I looked at her.
“Aren’t you frightened?”
She was quiet for a moment.
Then she said, “I sat beside my husband’s bed for the last six hours of his life. I watched a man I loved become someone I could no longer reach. I’ve lived through grief that made ordinary mornings feel impossible.”
She placed a hand on my arm.
