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Rough.

Absolute.

“There was never anybody else.”

Her face crumpled.

Actually crumpled.

Like hearing that hurt her almost as badly as hearing about the letters hurt me.

“Oh God…”

I reached for her before I could stop myself.

This time she didn’t pull away.

Not even a little.

My hands settled carefully against her arms.

Warm.

Real.

Finally.

The second I touched her, Felicity broke.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Worse.

A shattered breath left her, and suddenly she was crying against my chest like she’d been holding it in for sixteen years.

And that?

That damn near destroyed me.

“Hey,” I whispered immediately, pulling her closer. “Hey, Flick…”

She clutched the front of my shirt with shaking hands.

“I’m sorry,” she cried softly. “I’m so sorry…”

“No.”

I held her tighter automatically.

“You don’t apologize for this.”

“But you thought?—”

“I know what I thought.” My throat burned hard. “None of this was your fault.”

Her shoulders shook harder beneath my hands.