It was times like these that Dio felt bad for feeling miserable in her marriage. Ari was, quite literally, the best possible match she could have made under the circumstances. Ari didn't love her romantically (which she kept reminding herself, as painful as it was), but he'd taken on the role of father willingly, which was an act of love in itself and more than she could have ever expected from Ben Crouch. Moreover, he loved Elliott, played the role of father better than hers ever had, and by extension she had a family of Fisks to call her own. As he squeezed her fingertips she felt the guilt swell up in her. It was too much. She couldn't tell him—she couldn't find the words—which meant she had to leave the room. She had to.

She smiled back at him, but felt hollow inside as she did so. He had always been good at loving people he shouldn't—but was terrible at loving the people he should, she thought bitterly. She stood up abruptly, her hand slipping from his grasped, and tried to pull herself together. She could treat this situation just like she treated watching a patient die on the field, something that rarely happened but still had, and on more than one occasion. Just smile, pull her feelings into her chest, and wait until she was in the privacy of her room to cry.

And now she had to figure out what to do about the baby she didn't want.

"I'm going to get washed for dinner," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder as she passed him. "The table is already set.'

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   Elias Grimstone