She looked down.
“I wanted excitement, and I convinced myself that the man who gave me stability was somehow holding me back.”
She took a breath.
“Then I started lying. And instead of admitting what I was doing, I blamed you for making me unhappy.”
Cole felt something loosen in his chest.
Not forgiveness exactly.
Recognition.
For the first time, Claire wasn’t asking him to prove that he had been a good husband. She was acknowledging that she had failed to understand the person sitting across from her.
“I was wrong,” she said.
“Yes,” Cole replied.
She nodded, accepting the answer.
“I also understand something else now. You weren’t responsible for all the things you were carrying, but you were responsible for deciding whether to let me in. I wish we had both understood that sooner.”
“So do I.”
“Do you think we could ever try again?”
There it was.
