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She had sat, listening, as he spoke, scarcely interrupting "Is that why you haven’t asked ive you?"

"I don’t see how you can" His voice dropped low

"No?" She looked into his eyes "Don’t you?"

"I try not to lie to myself"

"You walked intothat other papers were copying my columns You saved one of my writers from certain embarrassment and possible iaol And, yes, you hurtto yourself if you believed I could forgive you?"

Edward shook his head It wasn’t a denial; he wasn’t even sure what it was

"Do you think I could hear what you just toldnow "Do you think I would conderee that you were hopeless? I have never given up hope so easily, and no matter how you hurt me, I love you too much to do it now"

"Free" He could scarcely speak

"So" She stood, brushing her hands off briskly "You don’t think you can have forever with s can be lovely with the two of us I will ads we s--their entire way of life--with a toss of her head "But if you think that the two of us cannot resolve our differences, you are lying to yourself Not all truths are bitter, and not all lies are sweet"

His whole heart jolted "Free I don’t know--"

She came toward him And then, to his shock, she took his hands

"I understand," she said "I understand why you did what you did I understand why you didn’t tell ht you that you can’t have anything good unless you steal it You wanted me; you stole me You never expected to keep ive you for that"

His heart, cold and shriveled thing that it was, ca in a way he didn’t understand He couldn’t quite bring himself to look her in the eyes She seemed so brilliant, so untouchable

And yet here she was, touching him in defiance of all his expectations This couldn’t be happening; it couldn’t be real But her fingers were truly laced through his, war him from the outside

Her features softened "You lied to me about the family that rejected you I knew you hadn’t told me when I married you, and I married you anyway They rejected you I was hurt when I found out the truth But it hurt just as ht I would reject you"

Her other hand caainst his cheek He let out a breath

"I still knoho you are, Edward And if you recall, I didn’t fall in love with a man who represented hiland I fell in love with a scoundrel"

It felt like forgiveness--sords that he didn’t dare believe in

"So, yes, Edward I think I could forgive you" Her voice tre yourself that I am a lie, one that you must walk away fro--we’ll need to do it together"