"Sorry for what?" Keeley hissed, regaining her energy and pulling her wrists free. She rubbed them, trying to erase the feeling of his grip.

"Everything."

"That's not enough! Do you realize what you did? I gave up everything for you, and you made me miserable, killed my father, cheated on me, and let your girlfriend kill me after you discarded me!"

She dug her fingernails into her palms, drawing blood in her rage.

"I never cheated on you," Aaron said quietly. "I pretended to be close to Lacy to get evidence to convict her for your father's murder. That baby wasn't mine."

A hysterical laugh escaped her. "You expect me to believe that?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Sit down, Keeley. This is a long story."

"I prefer to stand," she said stiffly.

"At least let me bandage your hands."

He went to the kitchen and retrieved a first-aid kit. With the gentleness of a butterfly's touch, he applied antibacterial cream with a cotton swab before covering all eight puncture marks with large adhesive bandages. He softly kissed each bandage, his palms still upwards. A sad half-smile played on his lips. The look made her heart skip, but her scowl remained.

Keeley snatched her hands back, crossing her arms. "Explain yourself."

He leaned against the counter, his gaze fixed on the wall. His usually expressionless face looked forlorn, and his voice was old.

"I knew Lacy was plotting against you since high school, but I had no proof. I could only try to keep you away from her and her cronies when you followed me to Boston. My parents disapproved I tried to help you fit in, but that obviously backfired."

"No, really?" she asked sarcastically. She didn't believe him.

He ignored her sarcasm, his voice heavy. "My father wanted me to divorce you and marry Lacy. Keeley, you never had an ectopic pregnancy. You were pregnant with a healthy baby, and they falsified your results to prevent you from bearing the next heir. They thought I'd leave you if you couldn't have children."

"They targeted you and our child because of me, and you were already depressed I couldn't tell you. My father had spies in the house, so I had to make them think I didn't love you anymore. It didn't work, but everything I did was to protect you."

Keeley couldn't believe him—until he cried. She'd never seen him cry.

"I failed. I was selfish and brought you down with me because I couldn't live without you. By the time I could let you go I lied to get you to leave, and they killed you anyway. You died thinking I hated you! I lived with that guilt for decades before fate gave me another chance."

He wiped his eyes and looked at her. "I promised myself I wouldn't waste it. I'd do everything right and let you know how much I loved you. I thought I'd have a clean slate. I never imagined you'd hate me immediately, but it makes sense now."

She frowned, suspicious. "How long have you known?"

"Since Valentine's Day. You said the same things I did to make you leave. After all these years, do you think I'd forget that? It played over and over in my head for twenty-seven years."

Twenty-seven years. If he was telling the truth… he'd lived with guilt and grief before being reborn and trying to win her back.

These were real emotions. He had to be telling the truth. He'd been misguidedly trying to protect her after a horrific loss. He was scared and proud, and it cost Keeley her life.

"Why?" she asked flatly. "If you knew Lacy was targeting me, why marry me?"

Aaron looked her in the eye. "I wasn't letting the only source of warmth in my life get away. You are, and always have been, the only thing that makes me happy."

She remained unconvinced.

"Even disregarding what happened after… losing the baby…if you loved me, you wouldn't have been so cold. You would have supported me, believed in me, been nice to me."

He looked embarrassed. "I didn't know how to care for someone. Bad examples at home. Haven't I gotten better?"

Keeley couldn't deny that. He had changed for her.

"But what about when I lost the baby? You didn't comfort me."

Aaron looked at her as if she were foolish. "I did my best. I was by your side constantly, but you were impossible to reach for nearly a year. When you started to recover, I realized we were being watched, so I pretended I didn't care to make my father back off."

Why did he have an explanation for everything? It was unfair. He was making her seem like the bad guy. She had every right to be angry!

So what if he had good intentions? He still ruined her life!