"Which stories?" Abby couldn't help but ask, looking back to him with a faint smile. She couldn't quite help her own curiosity. "If I had known, I would have been back sooner, I swear. But I thought- everybody said you hated me, and that she'd died, and I didn't- I couldn't bear to go see any disappointment on your face. I didn't want you to be any more angry with me." She bit her lower lip, quiet for a moment. "I realize now that I was wrong, but- oh, I want to be there for you both, Thomas. I really, really do."