The man who had once decided my fate with a single sentence now stood before me, lost and ashamed.
He rubbed the hem of his coat between his fingers. It was a nervous habit I had never seen before.
"I only wanted to see you," he said, his voice barely carrying over the rain. "I wanted to know if you were doing all right."
"I am," I answered softly. "I've been happier since leaving Ashford Manor than I ever was before."
The faint hope in his eyes slowly died.
"I'm glad," he whispered, lowering his head. "I'm glad."
Rain hammered against the roof and pavement.
I didn't want my neighbors to see him, so I hardened my voice.
"Take the box and leave. Don't come back again."
He didn't move.
"Cressida, was I really that cruel to you?"
The question came so unexpectedly that I froze.
He
