See if we can convince him it's best to let it go.

"-see if we can convince him to let you go, and forget the Cambridge and Kate." He shrugs. "It's not MY preferred answer, but I get that you want to be able to look your kids in the eyes without feeling guilty about what I did."

"Would that work?" Anne asks, concerned.

"Honestly?" He thinks for a bit. "Probably not. But if you want to give him a chance to walk away from this with some peace, it's the first step. I won't lie, it's probably the worst way to handle this other than just accepting that you're fucked for the rest of your life."

"Why?"

Aden counts off his reasons on his fingers, holding them up one at a time. "First, it tips our hand and lets him decide the rules of engagement. With a sadist, you need to take control away from them, make them play your game. Second, it doesn't put any pressure on him, lets him stay inside his comfort zone. Your ex is all about being where he wants to be, and being inside his own little world. He's a narcissist; he thinks the world revolves around him, and me coming to him anything less than full-on will make him think we're more afraid of him than he is of us. And that goes back to making him feel powerful."

"Which we don't want," Anne says.

"Exactly." He ticks off his last point. "The last problem with this idea is the worst. You can't reason with a narcissist. They don't understand logic, or reason, or even emotional appeals. No matter what point I make, he'll turn it to mean what he wants. He'll reinforce his own behavior. He'll justify. He probably really believes that we're the bad guys here. Narcissists honestly believe in themselves so much they can justify anything. So being rational with him is only going to reinforce his actions and make him feel like he was right all along."

Anne lowers her head, holding the sides of her head and moaning in frustration. He lets her think it through, hoping she'll see her way is not the right way. After five long minutes, she looks back up and shakes her head. "I can't, I just can't," she says softly. "I know you can do all kinds of bad things, and you'll feel okay in the morning. But I'm not you. I can't."

"I don't really need your permission," he grunts, disappointed.

"Please, if you really care at all about anything other than yourself, don't put me in this position."

He nods. "All right, Anne, we'll try it your way first. I'll approach him and talk to him, see what I can do. Listen to me, though. Once I front him about this, he's going to do something. What, I don't know. But he'll do something. Be very careful, and try to avoid all contact with him if you can. I won't be able to protect you and my girls, and they're my first priority."

She nods, almost grateful to him for agreeing to give her way a chance. She looks over to her photos, goes quiet, lost in thought. After a while, he stands up and lets himself out.