Love Me Again

Chapter 29 (Part 1)

One minute Elizabeth and I were talking about the pictures and the truth behind them. The next, Elizabeth is crying. I stood there for a minute not knowing what to do.

Elizabeth has always been so strong. In all the years we have been together, I have barely seen Elizabeth cry. At the beginning of our relationship, she said she never cried because it was embarrassing.

During our marriage, she tried not to cry because she said she had no reason to. She had everything while others were less fortunate. She was so selfless.

She was always strong in my eyes, even when she was crying. I would hear her crying after seeing me with other women knowing what we were doing. Even then, she wouldn't let me see her cry. She was stronger than anyone I knew.

She would never let the people she loved to know that she wasn't happy. She tried to please everyone before herself. Elizabeth was the most selfless person I knew.

I froze when she started to cry, but I snapped out of it trying to comfort her. It reminded me of the only other time I have seen cry, the night that I stated that I was going to divorce her.

There are few things I regret doing in my life and that was one of them. I tried to convince myself that marrying her was a mistake but asking her to break that marriage was a mistake.

As I told her of the divorce, I knew that I broke the woman that I loved more than anyone else in the world. That's why when I saw her cry that day, I left the house knowing that if I stayed a minute longer I would have apologized and beg for her forgiveness.

At the time, my pride wouldn't let me apologized and beg for forgiveness, so I took the coward's way out. I wish that I wasn't as strong that day. I wish I could have mended what I broke, but I couldn't undo the damage that was done.

That's why when I saw Elizabeth break down crying I did what I didn't do that day, I comforted the woman that I broke.

I watched as the pain I have caused her brought her to her knees. She cried from that pain until she faded into the blackness that took over her, bringing her into a deep sleep.

I had put her in my lap when she was crying to better comfort her. I looked at her sleeping peacefully in my lap. Anyone would have thought that she was peaceful if not for her tear-streaked face. I lifted my hand wanting to touch her skin, needing to feel her with my own.

My hand hovered over her cheek, as quickly as I moved towards her I moved back. I had no right; she probably wouldn't want my hands on her ever again.

Even when I did have the right to touch her, to love her, to care for her I abused it, I threw that privilege away like it was nothing.

I knew I shouldn't touch her, but I knew I had to if I wanted Elizabeth to have a peaceful and comfortable rest. I shifted her in my arms carrying her bridal style as I got up. I was going to lay her on the couch, but I knew that she wouldn't like waking up after sleeping on it.

I carried her up the stairs knowing her bedroom was upstairs. I knew that if she was anything like her past self that she would have picked a room that was on the top floor. Elizabeth hated sleeping on the first floor because she was close to the front door.

When I got upstairs, I looked around trying to see where her room would be. I tried the first door finding it to be locked. I thought it was weird but I didn't have time to think anything of it. Elizabeth was still in my arms and I didn't want her to wake up, so I continued with my search.

I walked to the next door to see if it was her room. As I reached to open the door, I felt Elizabeth stir in my arms.

I froze not wanting to wake her, but she slowly opened her eyes. She looked at me for a second then glanced around before closing her eyes again.

I stared at her feeling a longing in my chest. When was the last time I held her like this? When was the last time I treated her like the princess she was?

I shook my head trying to rid those thoughts because I already knew the answers to my questions.

It has been a long time because I was the one who ruined that. I could only blame myself for not being able to hold her or treat her like my queen.