She turned back to him, sadness so deep in her gaze that it hurt him to look at her.

“Don’t you see, Matt? It can never work for us. You don’t trust me. Your family and friends hate me. What kind of life will that be for me? I deserve more than that. It’s taken me long enough to figure that out. I settled again, when I swore I’d never do it. I agreed to marry you. Again. Because I was so in love with you and I believed that we could move forward. But I was a fool. Some obstacles are insurmountable.”

She closed her eyes as another spasm...