He turns back to me, his expression unreadable as always. "I know I haven't been the man you deserve. I know I've hurt you… pushed you away. And I wish I could say I had a good reason for it, but the truth is, I don't."
My breath gets caught in my throat. I have been waiting so long to hear those words from him, to hear him acknowledge what he has been doing to us, to me. But now that he is saying it, it feels almost unreal.
"I'm scared, Isabella," he continues, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm scared that I'll never be enough for you, that I'll always disappoint you. And I'm scared that one day you'll wake up and realize you deserve better than me."
I blink rapidly, my heart aching at the raw honesty in his voice. I have always suspected that fear is at the root of Michael's behavior, but hearing him admit it out loud is something else entirely.
