Elena looked up to catch the hurt expression on Stefan's face, and while she had known when she told him that this would be his reaction, she couldn't help but feel awful that she was the one to cause that pain. Everything had suddenly become more complex, with Stefan's return. He was no longer blindly following Klaus' every desire, somehow it would have been easier if he had been, and Elena was faced with nothing but her own decision to make. There was no outside factors for her to take into account. It was just her, and her feelings for Stefan, and her feelings for Damon. She bit her lower lip for a moment, gently, and gave Stefan a faint, sad smile as she shook her head.
"It's not your fault. It's so much more than anyone's fault, Stefan. This is just how things have happened. I can't say that it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't left, but that doesn't make it your fault, and it's not his either so please don't be mad with him again, okay? This is on me, and-"
Her breath hitched and she folded her arms over her chest, looking towards the ocean as the last glimmers of light sank behind the horizon, sighing softly before dropping her gaze to the floor once more. "I can't make my decision now. I need to take some time, think about it. I'm sorry, I...I really am, Stefan. I never wanted things to end up this way, none of us did, but it has and now I just have to deal. I still love you so much but I can't pretend that what happened with me and Damon didn't happen."