“Whether you’re there depends on what you do next.”
Then Robert whispered, “Yes.”
Emily wiped at her eyes.
“The wedding is still happening.”
Robert looked up.
She held his gaze.
“Whether you’re there depends on what you do next.”
But Emily wasn’t finished.
He looked stunned.
But Emily wasn’t finished.
“You don’t get to spend months humiliating the man I love and then walk into that room like nothing happened.”
“I know.”
“No. I don’t think you do.”
Robert nodded slowly.
Then he turned to Brian.
Robert glanced at the rest of us.
“Can we talk?”
Brian hesitated.
“Here.”
Robert glanced at the rest of us.
Brian didn’t budge.
So Robert stayed.
“You didn’t deserve any of that.”
“I’m sorry.”
Brian said nothing.
Robert swallowed.
“For hiding what happened. For what I said to you. For making your disability the target because I was afraid of what you knew.”
His voice cracked.
“You didn’t deserve any of that.”
“An apology isn’t enough.”
Brian looked at him for a long time.
“I’m not forgiving you tonight.”
“I know.”
“An apology isn’t enough.”
Robert nodded.
“I know.”
He didn’t ask Emily to reconsider.
“Then show me.”
For the next three weeks, Robert stopped trying to control anything.
He didn’t ask Emily to reconsider.
He didn’t ask Brian for forgiveness.
He answered every question Emily had.
When Brian wanted space, Robert gave it to him.
