"It would seem so, yes," Thomas nodded, frowning and looking down at his lap again- he hated knowing that Abby had been so close all this time. "She- she thought that I hated her, Rena- despite all my promises when we were together, the Madame's persuasion has been there these last ten years when I was not. The Madame stole the letters Abby wrote to me, so she truly had no reason to think I was anything but cold, heartless--"
He shook his head, trying to clear away the unfriendly thoughts, then looked back to Rena. "It's my fault, too- I believed the Madame when she told me Abby had died. It was just- we played right into her hands, didn't we? Me and my youthful optimism... And because of that, Bridget's lost out on having a mother for ten years. How- how could I do that to her?"
It was a facetious question, perhaps, and Thomas wasn't sure if he really expected an answer or not. "It feels like everything's been turned upside-down, Rena. I- I told Abby that I still loved her- and I meant it, I truly did. I want to tell Bridget these things, for- for Abby to get a chance to be a mother. I'm just- I'm afraid that my word means very little, now, and I- I suppose it's selfish, but I'm used to being trusted, to knowing how to help people. I don't know what to do, now, when it really matters."