Percy's immediate reaction was to flat out deny what she said. But there was truth there. He'd realized it that first night he'd come to her house. He'd known then that it would end poorly. Had known it was destined for heart break, but he'd pressed on. Her words, while they hurt, and while they hinted at the pain of her life, gave him pause, seeing things from her point of view. How would they ever find happiness if she were always blaming herself for his regrets, adding to them like bunnies in the spring time even if he didn't actually feel that way? Perhaps she was right perhaps they would grow to resent each other, possibly even to hate each other.

Then there was the fact that he was the Adlard heir, Felicity's stinging comments from February kept coming back to him. He had a duty to his family, one he couldn't ignore when it came to children. He might not feel that duty the way his father had, but it didn't mean it didn't exist. She was offering him a life he should have had had he not run into her in that elevator.

"Where does that leave us?" His words broke his heart, he almost couldn't believe he was saying them. His hands hung limply at his sides and he resisted comforting her. Tears welled up in his own eyes. It was a certain type of hell losing the love of your life twice in a lifetime.