“And then she would tell me how much I hurt her—”
“You did.” Her voice wobbled as she remembered just how much it hurt. “You did hurt me.”
“But after that, she would know…because she was practical that way…” And this time, Ioniko’s own voice broke. “She knew, even if it was right to make the man who hurt her suffer…she knew that on the last day of her life, she would think back and regret wasting so much time when she could’ve simply—”
Clasped his face, the way she was doing now—
And whisper, the way she was doing now—
“It’s okay.” Her voice shook. “We’re okay.”
And his own eyes burned.
“Because I love you.”
He hauled her close.
“And I know you love me, too.”
Their lips met, and it was as she said.
It was okay now. They were okay now. Because she loved him, and he loved her.
Part V
Two months later
Ioniko was in the middle of a luncheon meeting and taking a sip of his coffee when he received a text from his wife.
Schuyler: I don’t think I can join you. :( Kat’s stuck in traffic, and she’s got a couple of prospective investors coming in. She asked me to show them around the place, so I thought I’d show them our meeting room. Hope you don’t mind.