Page 91 of Absolution

He turns, startled. “What?”

“That! That line. Best damn woman in the world.”

Kyle frowns, confused. “You are.”

“Don’t.” I step closer. “Don’t overcompensate now. You cheated on this ‘best damn woman,’ remember?”

“I know that!” he says, voice rising. “You think I don’t know that every time I see your face? Every time I go back to that fucking apartment?”

“Then why say it?” I snap.

“Because it’s true!” he shouts, stepping forward. “And because I can’t take it back, Jackie. I can’t rewrite what I did. But I can sure as hell regret it.”

We’re standing too close now. Breathing hard. Hearts pounding.

“You always do this,” I say. “You break something and then act like you can fix it.”

He shakes his head. “No. No, I’m not trying to fix it. I’m just trying to say what I should’ve said a long time ago. I loved you. God, I still-” He stops himself.

I stare at him. “Don’t.”

His jaw clenches.

“You don’t get to still love me, Kyle,” I whisper. “Not like that. Not when I had to bury who I was just to surviveyou.”

“I know,” he says. His voice cracks. “I know.”

There’s a long pause. We’re still breathing each other’s air. Still caught between the ashes of what we had and the weight of what we lost.

Finally, I step back. “Go home, Kyle.”

He nods. Quietly. Then gets into his car.

As he drives off, I stand in the driveway, fists clenched, heart full of a thousand things I didn’t say.

Maybe it’s better that way. Maybe not.

When I walk back into the house, the kitchen's already alive with noise. The kids are huddled around the island, forks in hand, shovelling lasagna straight out of the dish. No plates. No shame. Just ooohs and ahhhs between mouthfuls of bubbling hot cheese.

Instead of lecturing them about manners, I grab a fork and join them. I wedge in between Iris and Levi, stab a corner piece, and take a bite.

I close my eyes and groan. “God. Your dad’s a great cook.”

All three forks pause midair.

I glance up to see them watching me like they’re waiting for the punchline. So, I shrug. “He is. Your dad may have had a fatal flaw, but the man knows his way around a lasagna.”

Still chewing, Levi glances at his sisters before mumbling, “We don’t wanna go to Dad’s next week.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Why?”

He shrugs. “Because he…”

“Because he cheated,” Iris cuts in, more bluntly.

I pause, chewing slowing, then say, “Really? He cheated on you?”

“It’s not fair,” Jemma jumps in. “He betrayed you. So why should we have to go over there? He broke our family.”

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