After the talk, he waited near the exit. When she saw him, her expression didn’t falter. “You disappeared,” he said, his voice trembling. “You ruined my life.” Her eyes were calm, unblinking. “No, Richard,” she said evenly. “You did that all by yourself.”
He wanted to argue, to ask where she’d been, but the words stuck in his throat. “Why didn’t you at least tell me you were fine?” he managed at last. Her reply was soft but final. “Because the girl you married died that night. I buried her entirely. I rebuilt my life brick by brick, and I felt you didn’t deserve any say in it.”