"I know, I know. I know that I have hurt you so much, and that is why I had trouble facing you. I’ve been meaning to come visit you since my talk with Eleanor, but I was too ashamed. I am sorry for what I did to you, Alessandra," Erin apologised.
Erin gathered her courage to face Alessandra. The apology wouldn’t feel right unless he looked Alessandra in the eye.
"I am sorry for turning back on you at such an awful time in Penelope’s life. I did think of my shop, but I care more for our friendship. I know it will sound like an excuse, but there is so much I face in my marriage these days," said Erin.
Erin only came to apologise, but the full story would explain her actions.
"Wouldn’t you do anything if it meant keeping your marriage to Edgar well? Wouldn’t you do anything so you don’t have to lose him?" Erin asked, knowing Alessandra would understand.
"I would," Alessandra answered. "Fortunately, Edgar doesn’t place me in a position where I must make an awful choice. Are you saying that it was Dale’s idea, and to save your marriage, you went through with it?"
Erin nodded. "He was the one who brought it up. Dale was worried that with everyone speaking of a curse again that it might affect the shop. Now that I look back on what he said, I am certain he was more interested in me not being your friend anymore."
"Why?" Alessandra asked.
Alessandra had always been kind to Erin, so why wouldn’t Dale want them to be friends?
"Dale doesn’t like Edgar. All along, he was never fond of Edgar. Since they never became close, I suspected it, but I didn’t think Dale was so angry that Edgar never defended Kyle. I don’t think Edgar needed to speak for Kyle," Erin said, looking down at her lap.
"He didn’t," Alessandra agreed. "Edgar’s job was to find the one behind the kills, and he found Simon. Kyle should have gone to the court."
"He should have. I think there is more to why Dale hates Edgar. Perhaps he was angry that Edgar never welcomed him into his circle. Whatever the reason is, I don’t agree with it. Dale married me knowing that I had become close to you," said Erin.
"He did. While my heart goes out to you for your troubles, this isn’t enough to make me forgive you, Erin. You could have written to me in secret to tell me of your troubles, and I would have understood," Alessandra said, unable to move on.
"I know. That was a mistake on my part. I was only thinking of the shop and my marriage. Part of me also hoped that the rumours would pass before we spoke, so you wouldn’t have known I had avoided you," Erin confessed.
Alessandra frowned, put off by what Erin said. "You would have kept it from me and moved on like nothing happened?"
"I came here to be honest with you. I will confess to all that I have done wrong and beg you for forgiveness. I did wrong, and I shall do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I can bring more money-"
"I don’t want money, Erin," Alessandra replied.
Alessandra almost couldn’t recognise the woman before her.
"This isn’t like you, Erin. This is not the woman I have been friends with for so many years. There is something more that troubles you," said Alessandra.
Alessandra was willing to put her feelings to aside to help Erin. Regardless of what happened, she didn’t like to see Erin appear so broken.
Erin smiled, trying to show that she was well, but her emotions soon overwhelmed her.
Erin covered her face with her hands and cried.
Alessandra looked to the door where Gerald came in with a tray and motioned for him to leave. She stood up and walked over to where Erin sat to comfort her.
"I should have listened to my mother. This love isn’t the same as when we were younger. I fear that my marriage has become all about money, and he isn’t happy that we haven’t yet had a child. I was so in love when we were younger, but that love is fading," Erin confessed.
Erin loved Dale so much in her younger days that she defied her mother’s wishes and continued to be with Dale. He was her first everything, the man she thought she would grow old with, yet their love was turning out to be .
Alessandra rubbed Erin’s back to offer her some comfort as she spoke.
"There are times when he forgets what I sacrificed to be with him. My mother wouldn’t speak to me for a long time because I went against her wishes. His mother acts like I needed Dale. Like he was well above me in status," Erin said, wiping her tears.
Erin didn’t mean to speak of all of this to Alessandra, but it had been bottled up for so long, and now she had a safe place to share it.
Erin couldn’t speak of this to Dale since he would get upset, his mother wouldn’t understand, and Erin’s mother would not let a day go by without saying she was right.
"I could have found a good man thanks to my parents’ work. I was more well off than the Scotts," Erin said. It was something Dale hated to admit. "Year after year, I hear of how we don’t have a child together. Can’t it be that it is also his fault?"
"It could be. Though most don’t want to acknowledge it, there are brave doctors who speak up about men sometimes having fault in it. We must hope one day these doctors’ words will be taken seriously," said Alessandra.
Alessandra hoped the brave doctors wouldn’t be silenced before they could prove themselves.
"We have gone so long without a child, and while Dale hates it, I do not. My work is my love. Rather than keep trying and failing, I wish to put my time into my shop, but it isn’t what he wants," Erin shared.
"Have you tried to express this to him? Surely, he would understand," Alessandra said, giving Dale the benefit of the doubt.
Erin wiped her eyes for the last time and shook her head. "No, he wouldn’t. Even now they expect a child. Kyle has brought many bastards into the family, but I am the one scolded. I hate that it has come to the point where I wish I had never married Dale. I should have listened."