270 THE GUILT GAME

Henry was unsure about pressing the doorbell. He stared at the vast door in front of him. He raised his hand, hesitated, and then decided to press it. He waited for a while before pressing it again. The door was wrenched open and Cecilia stepped out with a smile and said, "Hello, handsome." He leaned closer to her to hug her briefly, but when he held her close, he found it hard to let her go. Cecilia chuckled, clearly enjoying the affection. She patted his shoulder for him to release her. "Okay, okay, fine, tiger. It's okay now, yeah?" Henry decided he could redeem himself from his guilt by showing her more affection or that was what he told himself. "Just one more minute." He murmured into her hair, sniffing its vanilla scent. Cecilia smiled and sagged into him. She did not know she could act so softly with someone, ever. Henry's affection made her feel soggy inside but it also appeared to her that he was probably still devastated by the news he got the previous day. "How