I finally turn to meet his anguished gaze in the dim glow of the dashboard lights. Seeing the turmoil and self-reproach in Charles' eyes breaks through my numbness. I reach out to gently cup his weathered cheek.
"Hey...none of this is your fault, okay? You didn't provoke his insanity back there. I'm the one who chose to stand up to his bigotry rather than cower from it anymore."
Charles closes his eyes briefly, leaning into my touch. "I know, my darling. And you were magnificent - strong, defiant, unafraid to fight for our love. It's just...your father's cruelty cut so deeply precisely because it came from someone I once saw as a brother. To have that sacred bond perverted into such hatred..." He shakes his head, eyes glistening with unshed emotion.
Seeing this proud, heroic man anguis
