His voice was barely above a whisper.
“I was so ashamed, Hannah. I was ashamed when I was eight and I was ashamed when I was twenty-five, and I’m ashamed right now, standing here. Every time I looked at you, I saw that rock. I heard that sound. I’ve heard that sound in my sleep my whole life.”
He looked up at me.
“And because I fell in love with you,” he said. “I didn’t expect that. I didn’t plan that. I swear to God I didn’t. I just wanted to help you. I wanted to be your doctor and fix it and disappear again. But then you laughed at the sheep cloud, and I…”
He shook his head.
“I was terrified you’d refuse both me and the surgery if you knew. I thought, if she knows, she’ll never let me near her. She’ll never let me fix it. And I couldn’t stand that. I couldn’t stand the idea of having the answer and not being allowed to give it to you.”
