Lydia flinched a little at the memory of all the things he--Samuel--had said, the words shaped by the tenor of a voice she'd come to love more than she thought possible, which made them all the more cruel. Swallowing, she pushed that back.

"It wasn't you. You don't have anything to apologize for," she said softly. "I should have...realized sooner." Her skin crawled a bit remembering all the things that had gone on, been said and done, before she had. "I'm sorry I didn't."