Maggie's jaw dropped as he apologized for being a disappointment. All she could really do was shake her head in response. He was far from a disappointment. He was so much more than that. Everything she'd dreamed of, really. But that had been ruined. She was sure he hated her. The way he looked at her now, spoke to her, it all made it more obvious. Real.

How could she ever tell him that she did care about him? Truly cared? That she didn't want to see him hurting the way he was or hating her? Would he even believe her? She doubted it. Not after all they'd been through. It broke her heart just to think of it and had her longing for things to go back to the way they were. His erratic visits to the bakery on High Street with his overly flirtatious jokes and smiles. She missed that, missed him. But.. it was too late.

Nodding at his comment of going out, she simply looked away from him to the ground and left the kitchen herself. She went to her room, soon to be their room, and set to making him as comfortable of a bed as she could manage away from her own. She just hoped it would be enough though she sincerely doubted it.

---