An unobtrusive sound caught her attention, her body feeling tense and alert, ready to protect her territory. She tried to relax, bringing herself back to reality – It couldn't be any kind of danger, a patrol car was right in front of her house and one officer on the porch, another at the back door. Jack couldn't smoothly pass through them without being seen. She realized that the noise came from the main door, maybe the officer checking in before she would go to bed. It was pretty late after all. She opened the door and saw indeed the officer.

- Good evening, Madame!

- Good evening, Officer. Is anything wrong?

- No, Madame, everything's under control. You have a visitor, Madame. I was just checking in to see if you were still up.

- Oh… a visitor? This late? Who is it?

- Hey Sharon! I needed to see you… Andy showed up from behind the officer, an apologetic smile on his face.

- Andy? What are you doing here? Sharon felt very confused, not quite understanding why he needed to see her now.

- I really needed to see you, I know it's not really the time for you but I promise, I'm gonna be quick…

- Are you sure it is okay for you, Madame?

- Yes, yes. Thank you, Officer. Have a good night!

Andy walked in calmly, closing the door behind him. She didn't know what to expect from his sudden visit.

- Please, have a seat. I… I just need to use the bathroom before anything.

- Sure! I'll be here.

It was true, she needed to use the bathroom, but it mostly gave her a few minutes to collect herself and put on her impassive face, putting aside her feelings for this man who was in her living room late at night. It was vital for her to remain distant or she'd collapse.

A few minutes later, Sharon joined her visitor in the living room, cautiously sitting down at a reasonable distance from him.

- It's so nice to see you! I'm glad your injuries are fading away… You look healthier and happier obviously! I'm so relieved and reassured that your children were brought back to you today.

His words seemed hurried; he was nervous, she could tell.

- Yes, everything's slowly falling back into place. Thank you for your concern, Andy. Is that what you needed to tell me?

- Yes and no… he gave a nervous chuckle. He was clearly trying to find the right words. I wanted to apologize for the way I acted the last time I was here. I…

- Andy, you don't have to… she cut her short.

- Yes, I do have to apologize, Sharon! And for so many things actually! she could hear a hint of regret in his voice, he was sincere, trying to tell her something that had been weighing on him for a while now.

- What are you talking about? I thought you were mad at me for what I did…

- I was mad, really mad… and shocked, overwhelmed even. I needed some time to cool off and swallow it all.

- Andy… I'm so sorry for… everything… I didn't mean to hurt you… she said looking at her hands, her fingers fidgeting and playing with the lower part of the t-shirt she was wearing.

- Sharon… please, look at me.

It was getting difficult for her to keep her impassive face when she knew where this was going. She obeyed, rising her face up to meet his eyes. She was surprised to find them wet with tears.

- Sharon… it did hurt me but you're not to blame.

- Of course, I am! I lied to you for years… I don't understand what you mean…

- The other day when I left you here, I was mad, absolutely, I needed to get out of here before I would explode. But never in the world I would have been mad at you, Sharon. I was mad at myself. It was my fault, everything's my fault because I spoke before thinking!

Tears were now freely falling down his cheeks. She was struggling to keep hers at bay.

- I let you believe that I wouldn't marry you and didn't envision a future with you when, actually, it's all I ever wanted. Every day, Sharon, I thought everyday about the day I would finally make you my wife…

His words were too strong making her guard fall off, her impassive face long gone and replaced by an emotional one. He was pulling at her heart strings. She never thought she'd hear him say those words to her, even less after what had happened. He caught her hand in his and caressed it dearly, the corner of his mouth curving into a small smile despite the tears still flowing.

- I wanted at least two kids, but I'd have had as many as you wished because all that truly mattered to me was to be with you forever. To grow old with you, see our children and later grandchildren grow up into adults. There's nothing I wanted more but to cherish you until my last breath because you made me feel like the happiest and luckiest man alive. You were my world and I wanted to be in yours every single day of our lives.

He paused, drowning his eyes into hers, transmitting her his deepest feelings. She was now sobbing, feeling overwhelmingly happy and genuinely sad that she never got the chance to know this before she had the accident. They were holding hands, not daring to touch anything else of each other, but still needing to have a physical connection through this intimate open-hearted conversation.

- Andy… I should have known better… I ruined everything and I've been hating myself for it since that day. I'm so sorry, Andy… I really wanted that child, it was ours and… I don't know, it happened so fast… a second later and it was gone… she was crying hard now, finally letting go of all the stored sadness and remorse she had been accumulating over the years, all the unsaid words finally coming out.

He couldn't resist any longer. He took her in his arms, enveloping her with his whole body. He couldn't bear to see her so sad and blaming herself like that. She hugged him back, tightening her arm around his waist, her face diving into the crook of his neck. She had been waiting for this embrace for so many years that it even felt surreal to be there like that with him. She hung onto him for dear life, clenching his shirt tightly in her hand. They stayed in this position for long silent minutes, hearing nothing but heir sobs, that were way more powerful than any word at this moment. When she seemed a little calmer, her breath more regular against his neck, he decided to break the silence. He wasn't finished yet.

- Honey, I need to apologize for something else.

Her eyes were closed but her lips quivered at the nickname he used. His hand was in her hair, brushing it tenderly with a slow rhythm. The other one was on her back forming small circles, soothing her. He continued:

- You should never have faced the loss of our child by yourself… I feel so ashamed and mad at myself for not putting you enough at ease so that you'd share all this with me immediately. Instead, you were scared to tell me the truth, scared that I'd reject you and left, grieving your miscarriage all alone. Imagining you secretly going through all this on your own hurts me beyond words my love. Life was so unfair to you. You didn't deserve that…

Even closed, her eyes let tears fall down again at the mention of their baby. Despite the years, it was still very painful to her heart.

- You didn't deserve it either… I loved you so dearly, Andy. The biggest mistake of my life was to leave you. I was just so scared… I hope that you'll manage to forgive me one day.

Her voice was calm, her body felt more peaceful against his. He knew she was still crying though, he could feel it with his hand on her back. It was a very painful matter for both of them. He wished he'd have had the opportunity to be there for her and protect her, envelope her like that at the time she miscarried.

- Honey, there's nothing to forgive. You had an accident and you sadly lost our baby. How could I ever hate you for this. I'm the one having issues with controlling my temper, what you did was normal and, again, I'm so sorry for letting you think you were alone in this. I wish I could have been there for you.

For a few minutes, they stood in silence, hearing only each other's breathing.

- Andy… I've missed you.

- Me too, Sharon… me too…

Andy's back was now laying on the couch and Sharon resting against him, her uninjured arm still tightly wrapped around him. Her face was against his chest, moving up and down with the regular rhythm of his breathing. They remained like this for hours, falling asleep in each other's arms.