"Yes, I am," he assures her, and his hand touches her shoulder again in an effort to comfort her.

"You did all you could to stop him, but Derek was stubborn and trusted his own judgment over yours... which proved to be his undoing. He was lost to your family for some time."

He takes a deep breath.

"That... was the most pain I have ever seen you in. We could only watch helplessly as you suffered that loss."