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"I love you, Chessy I don’t kno ht now, but I love you I always have That hasn’t changed It never will But I need to know if you still love lect"
She closed her eyes again Shouldn’t she feel relieved by his impassioned declaration? Isn’t this what she wanted? Affirmation that he did love her? Still wanted her?
But he’d neatly dodged the question of his fidelity, perhaps because there had been so much else addressed in her hysteria She’d seen the shock in his eyes when she’d blurted that she wanted out, that she couldn’t take it any else that had been said, and she was too afraid to push him for an answer
"I’ve always loved you," she said wearily "But loving so one hundred percent froiving,all the concessions, and that may sound selfish, but it’s the way I feel Itto be done about it"
"Baby," he said gently "I can fix this You just have to give me the chance I never want to be without you I’m sorry if I haven’tout to have this discussion tonight," she said, her shoulders sagging "I just want to go to bed We can’t have this conversation when I’ht now is likely to be all twisted up because I’ood"
She saw the frustration, the beginnings of a raw edge of te to her fire she was and didn’t want to push her right over
He dropped his hands froaze directed forward so his profile was presented
"If that’s what you want," he said in a low voice "But we’re going to talk to this off It’s been put off long enough and I realize that’s ot up froe her s
Tate watched his wife exit the living rooh of relief At least he could hold her tonight if nothing else But daht There was so much left unsaid, unresolved He wasn’t the type to delay anything And spending an entire night with his future hanging precariously on the edge of destruction? Not ideal
But he couldn’t afford to push Chessy She was clearly at her wits end His fk-up on their anniversary had pushed her too far Finally too far He was damn lucky she hadn’t left his dumb ass already
He hauled hiht ahead He hoped like hell that Chessy didn’t close herself off to hiidly in bed or, even worse, cry herself to sleep His heart would be cut to ribbons
When he got to their bedroo a pair of paja up his spine
"Where are you going?" he deaze to meet his, a defiant look in her eyes At least she wasn’t crying A sht," she said quietly "I need soet into this tout As she shoved past hiuest room at the far end of the hallway, his breath left his to save his life
He stood there staring helplessly at her, knowing he should go after her and at the saiven him an ultimatum of sorts Hands off Give her space
Nu he’d never sleep tonight How could he when Chessy was sleeping down the hall froe was in serious jeopardy?
They’d never slept apart Not when they were in the saone on very few out-of-town business trips, most of them in the last couple of years, and that was the only time they’d damn well slept apart Even then he’d always called her and they had talked on the phone way beyond bedti her in his bed, and he’d given up precious hours of sleep when he needed to be alert and aware the following s Didn’t that count for soistered that he should be angry That he’d made countless sacrifices to ensure that the woman he loved more than life had the world at her feet And yet he couldn’t bring hi but remorseful when he took in the extent of Chessy’s unhappiness
Chessy who usually lit up a room when she walked in Chessy who had a smile that could knock abut sweet and understanding, siven her the sa?
The answer to those questions bleakly registered a resounding "no" with him He knew he’d fked up and there was no way he could turn this back on her because she’d been nothing but loving and supportive of hilect of her needs and wants