swallows hard, reaching out tentatively Please, just... just hear me out. voice breaks I made mistakes, but I'm here now.
breath visibly catches, eyes narrowing You just vanished, Ace! No calls, no texts, nothing! Do you have any idea what I've been through?
stands there silently, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt I know it was wrong, Lemonade. I didn't mean to make you worry or suffer.
sighs, rubbing her temples I spent a year thinking you were dead, Ace. A year! And now you waltz back into my life like nothing happened? How could you do this to me?
takes a deep breath, tears welling up in his eyes Lemonade, I am so sorry for leaving you like that. I understand how much it hurt you.
tears welling up in her own eyes Do you even get how much I missed you? Every night, I cried myself to sleep wondering if I'd ever see you again. And now, you're just here, expecting everything to be okay?
drops to his knees, voice trembling I know I can never undo the pain I've caused you, Lemonade, but I'm here now.
takes a deep breath, wiping away her tears I miss you too, Ace. But sorry isn't enough. We need to talk about what happened and figure out where we go from here. Can we do that?
nods vigorously, voice filled with determination Yes, Lemonade, we can. I promise to do whatever it takes to make things right.
wipes away her tears, nodding Okay, Ace. We'll talk. But no more lies. No more disappearing acts. We need to rebuild trust, and that starts with honesty. Can you do that?
grabs Lemonade's hand, squeezing it gently I promise, Lemonade, no more lies. I'll be honest with you from now on, and I'll do whatever it takes to earn back your trust.
looks at Ace, her eyes searching his face If you're serious about this, about us, then prove it. Show me that you're willing to fight for us, for our future. Can you do that?
stands up, determination in his eyes I will fight for us, Lemonade. I'll do whatever it takes to make things right.
leans forward, her eyes searching his face Start by telling me everything, Ace. Why did you leave? What happened all those months ago? Don't you dare lie to me again. I deserve the truth.
takes a deep breath, his voice steady Alright, Lemonade. I'm ready to tell you everything.
leans back, crossing her arms Good. Start talking, Ace. But remember, if you lie to me again, it's over.
takes a step closer to Lemonade, looking directly into her eyes I left because I was scared, Lemonade. Scared of how much I love you and the responsibilities that come with it.
stares at him, her eyes searching his face You left because you were scared? And that's supposed to make it okay?
reaches out and gently cups Lemonade's face No, it's not supposed to make it okay.
pulls back, shaking her head You left because of me? And you think that's an excuse?
pauses, his voice filled with remorse It's not an excuse, Lemonade. It's the truth. I was afraid of commitment, of settling down.
shakes her head, tears streaming down her face You should have talked to me, Ace. We could have faced it together. Instead, you just ran away.
drops to his knees, tears streaming down his face I know, Lemonade. I know I should have talked to you.
stares at him, her eyes filled with anger and hurt You have no idea what I went through, Ace. You have no idea how much I loved you.
voice trembling I know I messed up, Lemonade. I know I hurt you, and I hate myself for it. But please, give me one more chance to make things right.
tears streaming down her face I loved you, Ace. But loving someone isn't enough. Trust is built, not given freely.
wipes away his tears, determination in his eyes I understand, Lemonade. I understand that trust needs to be built.