Each push away is felt, one by one. Frustration builds, but it isn't so much angry as it is sad. He opens his mouth to speak, to cut into Martin's argument, but it falls flat under his denials.

When he speaks again, it's as firm as it is desperate.

"I don't want you to be alone, Martin. And even if you had been able to tell me to stay away, I wouldn't have wanted you to be alone. I did what I could, at the costs I did, because I wanted to."