Time would reveal the difference.

Camilla asked whether I wanted to rebuild a romantic relationship with her.

We had avoided the question for months.

I told her I cared about her deeply, but did not want Chloe to see a reunion rushed for the sake of making the story look tidy.

Camilla agreed.

We had missed years of each other’s lives.

She had become an independent woman I was only beginning to know again, and I had become a father shaped by experiences she had been denied.

If love grew between us, it would have to grow honestly.