Cathy remained seated by Andrew’s side, silent, staring to a fixed point on the floor. He was silent too, waiting for her to have a reaction, any reaction. The truth is, he always knew one day she would question him about this, one day he would have to come clean about what happened. That would mean not only letting her know something about himself he wished she never knew, but also reviving a painful chapter of his past. Telling her meant not being able to ignore the part of himself he considered irredeemable, and all the things he told her and told himself he could change felt like irrational lies of someone desperate to be loved again - and by her, only her. The tears falling down his face brought him no relief, as her silence pierced his heart slowly every second. Years of practices of
