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“Cecilia, she... she won’t talk to me. She barely looks at me and won’t let me touch her. We’re right next to each other, but it feels like we’re miles apart. I keep apologizing, but I know that’s not enough.” I take a deep breath before continuing.

“She’s getting worse. She won’t leave the house, she isn’t taking care of herself, and she’s lost weight because she won’t eat unless I force her.

And it’s all my fault. I’ve turned her into this shell of a human when she used to be so full of life.

It fucking hurts to see her like this, and I don’t know how to pull her out of it. ”

I don’t realize I’m crying until a tear drops to my forearm. Fuck, this is embarrassing. I wipe the tears away quickly with the hem of my shirt. I’ve never been much of a crier, but it seems like that’s the new me now.

He scrubs at his jaw that’s clean-shaven. “Okay, well, that’s not great.” He looks into my eyes. God, I hate how he always has his eyes on me.

But that’s probably how he’s so good at reading people. I swear, this guy can smell a lie from a mile away before you’ve thought about saying it. It freaks me out sometimes, like he’s some sort of mind reader.

“Do you regret doing it?” he questions next.

Anger unfurls through my veins. My shoulders bunch up as my body stiffens, and I clench my fists, breathing hard. I want to punch him in the face for even asking such a stupid question.

“Of course, I fucking regret it!” I say with rage in my voice.

He lifts his hand to stop me. “Calm down, Silas. It was a simple question. I’m just assessing the situation.”

Once he sees my shoulders relaxing and my fists loosening, he continues.

“So you regret your... we’ll call it a mistake because I don’t believe for one second that what happened was voluntary.

I was at your wedding, and I’ve seen you two together.

I know when I see true devotion, and you both have it.

” He offers me a tender, sympathy-filled smile.

“Anyway, you regret your mistake and want to fix it. What about her? Does she want to fix it? ”

I think about how it’s been over the last two weeks, and the little signs of progress.

“I think so. She hasn’t said as much, but she agreed to stay in the house, even when Burkley offered her a room.

She does find a way to answer my questions when I talk to her, even if it’s not verbal.

And sometimes during the night, she reaches for me in her sleep.

Or touches me when she thinks I’m sleeping.

It’s not much, I know. But it’s something, right?

” I look for confirmation in his gaze, but he keeps his face blank.

“It’s definitely not nothing. I’d say she does want to work it out, but she’s still too lost in her emotions to know how.”

Yeah, it’s what I came up with, too. Now if only I had a solution to make them clearer for her so that we can start moving forward.

My brain is working overtime to search for a way that could help when I see a slow smile spread on his lips. “I got it,” he declares with a snap of his finger as he points at me.

“You do?”

“Yup. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to win her over again.

You two are back to square one, so you need to stop thinking as husband and wife.

Think of it as ‘boy meets girl’ . Cecilia right now is undecided about her feelings for you.

She needs clarity, and you’re going to give it to her. ”

I nod, agreeing with him. “Okay, but how?”

“Show her what it was like to be with you, make her fall in love with you all over again. Show her you’re still the right choice, that what you two have is worth fighting for. Woo her, whatever it takes. Do it.” He nods his head in affirmation at his own words.

He’s right. Shit. How the hell didn’t I think of this!?

For the first time in weeks, a smile spreads along my lips and hope blooms within me. It’s time I get my girl back.

After leaving the arena, I make a small detour to a certain bakery I found a little over a year ago that sells those almond croissants Cecilia loves and reminds her of home. I pick up a dozen and head home to my wife.

When I arrive, Aubrey is in the kitchen preparing lunch. She’s been doing some of her courses online so that she can be here in the mornings to make sure Cecilia eats when I have practice. I’m extremely grateful for her.

It wasn’t an obligation to have her do this, we do have a housekeeper that comes three times a week to clean in the morning, and I could have easily asked her to come in on days when I have obligations with the team.

But I wanted Cecilia to be around a friend rather than an employee during these hard times. When Aubrey offered her help, I accepted straight away.

“Hi,” I say, walking up to her. “Thanks, but you didn’t need to do that.”

“It’s fine, it kept me occupied.” She looks to Minnie, who sits on the couch staring off at the TV, although I don’t think she’s actually paying attention to it.

“How is she this morning?” I question in a hushed voice.

“Pretty much the same. She ate a couple of grapes this morning without me having to ask and agreed to watch a show with me. So that’s progress.”

“Yeah, good,” I answer, still staring at the back of my wife’s head.

When I turn back to Aubrey, she’s eyeing the box in my hands, then looks up and offers a warm smile. “You’re doing good, too. Don’t give up on her, she’ll come around.” She places her hand on my forearm.

I swallow as emotions rise. “I could never give up on her.”

“Good. I’ll get out of your hair. Do you need me tomorrow morning?” she asks as she collects her textbooks and bag.

“No, day off.”

“Okay, then I’ll see you Thursday morning. Bye, Sy.” She wanders off to Cecilia, kissing her on the forehead and telling her she’ll be back in two days, then leaves out the front door.

I take a deep breath and walk cautiously over to my wife. Her eyes shift my way when I come into view, but then refocus on the television. I sit on the coffee table facing her and offer her the box I’ve been holding. She looks down at the box, then back at me, but doesn’t make a move to take it.

“It’s for you...” I say quietly and lift it a little closer to her.

Finally, she lifts her shaky hands and takes the white box, setting it on her thighs. Slowly, she pulls on the red ribbon and lifts the cover off. I hear her inhale deeply, watch her throat swallow and her eyes become glossy.

No, no, baby... please don’t cry. Because when you do, all I want to do is hold you, and right now... I can’t.

I wait for her to make a move, do something, but all she does is stare at the pastry. I’m not sure what I was expecting. She still isn’t eating normally, so why would this be any different...

With a saddened sigh, I begin to rise from the table, but then she surprises me by quickly putting her hand in the box. I stop moving and stare at her beautiful downcast eyes.

She keeps her sight on the food. But then with a deep breath, she lifts one of the croissants and stretches it out my way.

My eyes widen in shock. I sit back down on the table, swallow the lump in my throat, and reach out to take it. Then she grabs another and sets the box down on the couch beside her before bringing the pastry slowly to her mouth and taking a small bite.

An olive branch, that’s what this is. It’s small, but it’s something. Holy shit. I take a bite from my pastry and let my head drop forward as tears fill my eyes.

She’s still here, she’s still with me.