Page 138 of Bene

Each time she said because, he took another step. There were only three left between him and her, now, but Bene wasn’t quite ready to close them. He thought there was still a lot left unsaid between the two of them, and if they didn’t get it out now, then he doubted there would be another chance for them to do that.

And he needed to make a choice, didn’t he?

To love this woman, and fight for her.

Or to let it go.

Give me a reason not to let it go, Vanna.

“What did you mean—about love and forgiveness?”

Bene arched a brow, tipping his head to the side a bit as he regarded her. “It only really works if you want to be forgiven, Vanna.”

She just stared.

He looked back.

“When you hurt somebody,” he added, shrugging and taking one more step higher, “then you don’t get to decide anything about their forgiveness, but especially when it’s someone you say you love. You hurt them, and so you should be prepared to deal with the consequences of their forgiveness, even if it hurts you. It’s your willingness to accept their forgiveness in whatever form it takes that proves you understand what you did.”

“You hurt me, too, but I don’t think the same thing applies.”

He had hurt her.

Said things in anger.

Behaved rashly.

Couldn’t deal.

She’d taken the brunt of it.

“But I understood,” she added softer. “So, I’m not sure if it’s that there’s nothing to forgive, or I already did. What about you?”

“I wish you could understand the weight of what you did.”

“I do.”

“Really, you think?”

Vanna dragged in a shaky breath, blinking before tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes and made glistening tracks down her cheeks. He expected her to quickly wipe away the tears, but she didn’t even bother.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Bene, and I’m sorry that I made it worse because you fell in love with me.”

“But are you sorry for that?”

It took Vanna a second.

And then, two.

Bene waited her out.

“I’m not sorry that you love me, no, and I’m not sorry that I love you, either.”

“This is a messy thing, Vanna.”

She lifted one shoulder, holding that brown bag tighter to her midsection. “I wanted to fix it. It was too late, I knew it, but I still wanted to fix it. I tried everything I could to make it better and—”

“Stop.”