Arthur looked away.
“That may be the cruelest thing you’ve said.”
Tears appeared in her eyes.
“I know.”
He remained silent.
Finally, she asked, “Did you ever truly love me?”
Arthur didn’t answer immediately.
“Yes.”
Claire began crying.
“I don’t deserve that.”
“No,” he replied. “You don’t get to decide what I felt. But you also don’t get to use those feelings to excuse what you did.”
She nodded slowly.
“What happens to me now?”
“That depends on your choices. The legal questions will be handled through the proper channels. Our marriage will have to be addressed separately.”
Claire looked down at her hands.
“I thought I was doing this for my father.”
“And now?”
She struggled to answer.
“Now I think I was afraid of disappointing him.”
Arthur’s expression softened, but he didn’t move toward her.
“Then perhaps you should spend some time discovering who you are when you’re not following someone else’s instructions.”
