She was outraged. “When it comes to betrayal there’s no such thing as maturity. It’s too basic a violation. You hurt me as bad as a human being can be hurt. At least the Acid Man was honest with me when he poured that stuff on my belly. He just wanted to torture me to death. There was a beginning and an end to his crime. But what you did to me has no end. It eats at me night and day. You talk about how much happier you were when I was in your life. I have been left to live the dark side of that equation. I can only think back to when I wasn’t in pain all the time. I can’t think about happiness, not at all. That’s a luxury you stole from me.”

Tony leaned forward. “Then let me give it back to you.”

She sat back. “No.”

“Kelly?”

“No!”

He got annoyed. “You’re acting like a child. You would rather hold on to your bitterness than have happiness. We were both hurt by what happened. We can go on being hurt or we can try to make a life together again. I admit I made a terrible mistake. Why can’t you do the same?”

She hated her tears. “Because I didn’t do anything wrong. You did it all. You hurt me.”

He stopped. “I know I hurt you.”

She shook her head. “You cannot imagine. You just think you can.”

He spread his hands. “What do you want me to do? Beg?”

She pounded the table. “Yes! I begged two months ago and you turned me down. You had it all, you were in total control. You had our daughter, your new-and-improved screw, our home. What did I have? A tiny apartment filled with nothing. Guts that didn’t work. A heart that was broken. You broke my heart, Tony. I used to think that was such a cliché expression. I don’t any longer. When it gets broken, really broken, it can’t be fixed.”

They sat in silence. How strange, she thought, to fight so hard to destroy the very thing she had prayed for so long to get back. Finally he spoke.

“Are you saying it’s hopeless?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“You don’t want to think about it?”

“No.”

“Is there someone else?”

The feel of Matt’s hands on her body returned to mind. So strong his touch, for such a vulnerable soul. He was the Acid Man’s cousin, but also his opposite. Matt had magic but the wrong spells. What could she teach him?

“There might be someone else,” she said.

The news shook Tony. “Charlie?”

She shook her head, bitter. “You never understood our relationship.”

“Who is it then?”

“Some guy.” She shook her head. “You don’t know him.”