"How could it not?" He laughs a little, without humor. "He wanted to play Clarity. He wished to exorcise me. All he could talk about for a time was the harm the resentful energy would do to me."

Swiftly, he pinches the bridge of his nose to swipe the gathering tears from his eyes.

"I told you we had drifted apart before I died, but in truth, Harrow, I pushed him away. Because I thought I could not trust him. And now -- "

Now, he doesn't know what to do. Only that his chest burns with raw feeling, so intense he fears he will never be able to ignore it.