Thirty Nine

"I slept with Landon."

He stepped back. Away from me. "Oh."

Now I was on my knees. We were both on our knees. I reached to touch his hand, but he flinched, pulling it back with a jerk. Like I burned him. Like my touch burned him. My eyes filled with tears suddenly. I blinked. 

"I'm sorry." I whispered. I had nothing else to say. Nothing that could justify it. "I'm sorry, Mariano."

He looked down at the floor, his head hanging low. He nodded. 

God, it hurt to see him like this. This was not the Mariano I knew. The Mariano I knew did not do this. He didn't treat me like this. And he did not look so defeated. So sad. So dejected. 

"I'm sorry." I said again. I sounded like a broken record. But there was really nothing I could say, or do, that would make any of this better. 

"I know, Isabelle." He said. 

"Please, talk to me." 

"There is nothing to say." He looked up at me and smiled. His eyes wer