Remember When by A. D. Ryan Page A

threshold, Sienna turned to me and pulled me into a friendly hug. “I care about you, Jack. About both of you. She'll come around, just give her some time.”
    “Thank you,” I said as she pulled away, and I watched her walk to her car and drive down the street from the doorway. After locking the door, I headed upstairs to find Cassie lying in bed, wide awake.
    “ I'm sorry,” I said. “I just thought it would be easier for you to talk to her than to me.”
    Cassie sighed. “I'm so tired.”
    I knelt before her and stroked her hair. “Then sleep.”
    Tears fell rapidly from her eyes. “I can't, because every time I close my eyes…all I see is…” she sobbed loudly before finishing “…the look on your face when your dad told you I had lost the baby.” She buried her face behind her hands and wept hysterically for the first time in a week. “I didn't want the baby, and you were so excited. And now…I've failed you so many times.”
    Knowing it was my anguish that kept her from sleeping destroyed me. “Oh God, Cassie,” I whispered, moving to embrace her as she remained on the bed. I tried to make her feel better, but I knew the exhaustion was taking its toll on her. I pressed my lips to her forehead as she sobbed into my shoulder.
    I didn't want to leave her right then, but she needed to sleep, and clearly that wasn't happening on its own. “I'm going to go and get the sleeping pills that Sienna prescribed. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, okay? I'll see if my mom can keep Charlie tonight, too.” I stood and walked to the door, stopping before leaving the room entirely. “I love you.”
    Cassie raised her head and wiped her eyes as she sniffled. “I love you, too.”
     
    Reliving such a painful part of our past was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. I knew it was what we needed in order to move on from it, but it didn't make it any less difficult.
    I looked down at Cassie and could feel my eyes burn with tears. “Cassie, I'm afraid that if we don't try harder that our marriage won't survive.”
    The faint sparkle that was left in her eyes burned out, and she sighed sadly. “I think it's too late to worry about that.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 7 | Impasse

    “ W hat?” I asked in a hoarse voice after a beat of silence. Too late? What did she mean it was too late? I stood there, staring at her in shock as she looked me dead in the eye and told me that our marriage was over. My mouth opened and closed as I tried to find the words—any words.
    I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. “So, what? You're telling me you don't love me?”
    Cassie's eyes widened, and her head snapped back at my assumption. “No! That's not what I said at all. You know I love you. Both of you. God, Jack, I'd sacrifice my soul for you if I had to.” Cassie took a deep, trembling breath as her eyes hardened with resolve, and she broke the silence. “Look, we've both rehashed a bunch of shit that should have stayed buried for obvious reasons. So, before either one of us says anything else we don't mean, I'm going to go upstairs.” She turned from me in that moment and started to walk from the room.
    It only took me two long strides to catch up to her. I took her by the hand and turned her to me. “No, you don't get to walk away from this that easily. Not this time.”
    She raised an eyebrow and stared me down. “You think that any of this has been easy for me, Jack? For two years I've been struggling to come to terms with my choices. Each and every time I'm ready to move on from it all, you won't allow it. It kills me to know that I've hurt you this deeply.” Cassie placed her right hand on my cheek and smiled up at me. “I know you don't want to keep hurting. You don't deserve to keep hurting.”
    “And you telling me that our marriage is over is supposed to help me how, exactly?” I demanded angrily. “I don't get how can you say that there's no hope to save our