He tried to tell himself that Claire needed time to heal and he wanted to be there for her when she needed the most, but he had ended up hurting her. But the fear persisted, taunting him with the possibility that he had finally managed to push her away. His heart ached with the memory of her tears, the vulnerability in her eyes as she bared her soul to him. He wished he could take away her pain and shield her from the horrors she had endured, but he knew it wasn’t as easy. It was a wound that ran so deep and he was scared that it might never fade away. Not completely.