"No."
I shook my head.
"You really were."
"Je sais."
"You should've trusted me."
"I should have."
"You should've let me stand beside you."
"I wanted to."
His voice cracked.
"I was just too young to understand that protecting someone isn't the same as deciding for them."
I folded the photograph carefully.
"I hated you."
"Je sais."
"J'ai passé des années à penser que je n'étais pas assez."
His face crumpled.
"Doron..."
"I wondered what was wrong with me."
"There was never anything wrong with you."
"I know that now."
Je l'ai regardé pendant un long moment.
"The sad part is..." I smiled sadly. "...we lost the same 22 years."
He nodded once.
"Yes."
Neither of us tried to pretend we could get them back.
Some losses stay losses.
The sliding door opened.
Stormy peeked inside.
"Are we interrupting?"
I wiped my eyes quickly.
"Non."
She looked from Richard to me.
"Vous avez tous les deux l'air de pleurer."
Jordan sourit.
"J'ai pensé que cette partie était inévitable."
Stormy walked over and slipped her arm through mine.
"Can I ask one question?"
Richard nodded.
"Anything."
Elle sourit.
"Si vous n'avez pas rompu..." Elle regardait entre nous. "... Je n'existerais pas, n'est-ce pas ?"
Richard chuckled.
"Probably not."
Stormy pretended to think about it.
"Well..."
Elle regarda Jordan.
