“I know that, young lady, but I could not sit by and watch you fade away while feeding me,” Clarence replied as tears streamed freely through the gray stubble on his cheeks.

“You should have spoken to me honestly instead of carrying this impossible burden all by yourself,” Rebecca said between heavy breaths.

“If I had told you the truth, your stubborn pride would have forced you to refuse every bit of help I tried to give you,” Clarence answered gently.

“And now you are standing in front of a criminal judge facing prison time because of my family,” Rebecca cried out with deep anguish in her voice.

Clarence straightened his spine as much as his aged bones would allow, looking directly into her red eyes with fierce tenderness.