"I was. And I am," she said simply. "I do not think I will ever love anyone else that way again. I also do not think she will ever trust me again; I did not intend for her to when I left her. I did not intend ever to see her again, and I do not intend, now, to put her in danger by pursuing her. I would not disrupt her happiness any further than is strictly necessary."
If she was in pain, she was making a concerted effort not to show it. "I love her. But I am not a fool. Eventually, my pursuers will catch me, and I will not walk away from the fight. I will not break her heart a second time by promising her forever when I do not have it. She is safer, and more certain of happiness, with you."