She served him at the table. Like the times before, she did not ask how long he would be around. Dinner was a simple homemade spaghetti. She still wasn't much of a cook, it seemed. He had used to tease her about this even though he was barely able to handle a ladle himself. They had joked that they'd have to survive with microwaved pre-packaged foods for the rest of their lives.

She took a plate of her own and placed herself across his seat. If she was going to say something, she did not go through. There she was again, pensive.

The sentence spilled over his mouth before he could think about it.

"Will you marry me?"

While he was nursing his own surprise, Kayla didn't even look up from her food.

"Listen, if you say that for Layna, you don't have to. Even mentioning my mental condition should be enough for you to win her custody. You don't even have to do that either. I'm letting you know that I'd give you her custody if you promise me you'd give her a good life."

"What? You've done everything for her and you'll just give her away?"

"She does deserve to grow up with a stable parent."

"But then...how about you?"

"I'll keep the room available for her if she ever wants to visit, but I'll probably AirBnB the rest of the house every time I go to a business trip."

"No, I mean...won't you be alone?"

"It won't be much of a change."

"You don't want to try raising a family with me?"

"Don't," she warned. "Don't go there. Don't give me hope."

Finally, their eyes met.

"A lot has happened in three years. I am more successful than I had ever been. Stronger, too. But also broken beyond repair. The woman you wanted was dead, and you told me that you wouldn't waste your time tending to a broken woman, so please, just...don't give me hope anymore."

"You don't think I may have changed? That I want this now? Want you?"

"I cannot bear to lose myself again. Sorry."

"Are you...happy?"

"I don't know. But I'm alive."

Once, he was captivated by her youthful exuberance. This dejected shell was not her. When she thrived, absorbed in things she loved, it was where she was at her prettiest. She glowed.

"I know what you're thinking of," she stated abruptly, eyes staring hard at him. "But this is me."