Seeing that Nathaniel looked ready to settle the score, Vera felt an inexplicable pang of guilt and instinctively avoided his gaze. "I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just... since you're a soldier, I was afraid..."
Her words trailed off as she remembered his various tactics. She cleared her throat and said, "What gives you the right to say I hid things from you? You were hiding things from me too when you did all that!"
"That's because you lied first." Nathaniel reached out and stroked her hair. "From the day we got married, I made a decision: I would never let anyone bully you. But it's a shame you still don't trust me."
His voice held a hint of helplessness and sorrow.
Hearing the tone of his voice, Vera felt a pang of guilt. She said softly, "I just want to protect myself in my own way. Nathaniel, I know you're very capable, but you can't be by my side all the time. I need to become stronger so I don't hold you back."
