Noble's eyebrows drew together; he wasn't sure he believed Ford, at least not that he'd meant to burn the letters. Noble kept mementos, after all — nothing as damning as letters, but little things that Daff had gotten him, and he was not even in love with her any more. Maybe Ford wasn't in love with Macnair anymore, either. Noble couldn't say. But there had been something so plaintive and desperate about the letters that he just wasn't convinced, even though they made him uncomfortable to think about.

"So you're not still with — him," Noble said, stumbling over the words as if they were pulled out of him. It was also hard to believe that Ford had managed to hide this from him for so long; their financial situation had turned both of them into better liars.

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