And the fiercest love I'd ever seen.
Peter blinked, caught off guard by her question, then answered, "Marlin said you fainted out of nowhere, so I rushed over."
Kirsten opened her mouth, glanced at me.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but closed her lips again almost immediately.
Her eyes reddened, and tears slid down her cheeks.
Peter panicked. He fumbled around for tissues, talking while he searched. "Hey, come on, what are you crying for? You're fine now. The doctor said you're out of danger."
I took the hint and stepped back, pulling the door shut quietly behind me.
I left the time and the space to the two of them.
The fluorescent lights in the corridor hummed.
White light made everything sharp. Everything real.
A detail surfaced in my memory.
In the last life, after Kirsten accepted my confession, I'd asked her once.
When did you start having feelings for me?
She smiled and didn't answer directly. All she said was, "You've been good to me. I've always known that."
At the time, I thought that was the answer.
A girl willing to marry you, willing to spend her whole life with you. Wasn't it because you were good to her?
Now I understood.