for that.
“Sometimes.”
“Still?”
“Yes.”
“Even after the trust email?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“Good.”
I frowned.
“Good?”
“You keep reminding me that understanding someone isn’t the same as excusing them.”
I looked away.
“When he left, I was seven months pregnant.”
“I know.”
“He said he loved me.”
Alessandro stayed quiet.
“Then he said he couldn’t stay.”
I stared at the water glass.
“He was ashamed he had no job. He owed money. He thought every problem became my problem.”
“That sounds like he was trying to spare you.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“He was trying to spare himself from watching me be disappointed.”
That felt true.
“He may have believed both.”
“Probably.”
“Would you want him back?”
“No.”
Immediate.
Certain.
That surprised even me.
“I want Mia to know him someday if he becomes someone safe and consistent.”
“But not you?”
“I already had my relationship with David.”
