Alexandria tensed when he spoke. It all seemed to come back to him, probably because he had recognized her voice. She felt even more ashamed by her behavior, having tricked him like that. How could she? Easily. It was for his own good. For common good. How could he not see that she was just trying to protect him from herself? Each time she pushed him away she was hoping he would understand that it wasn't worth it. She was hoping he'd somehow come to his senses and realize that loving her would only bring him trouble and sorrow. It pained her to see him like that, hurting himself over and over again just so he could be with her. How far did she have to go so he would truly just give up?<br/><br/>Guilt was gnawing on her insides and her stomach churned. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to focus when he apologized. "No, I'm sorry Keith." Alex managed to speak. "I've ruined you, hoping you would understand how all of this just isn't worth the effort. But you're much braver than what I thought. And it's difficult, because I'm a coward myself." The blonde paused, remembering Gabriel's words and warnings. Don't break a good man. You'll regret it more than you'll ever regret any failed relationship. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. Please, just let go. The more you try, the more you will ache. I can't do anything good to people, only hurt them until they figure a way to hurt me instead."<br/><br/>She sighed and shook her head. "Can't we just go back to how things were on the first day? When you had your own life, when I had mine... when we barely knew each other and we were just strangers crossing paths in the hallway." Alex tried to keep her calm exterior when she saw Keith's tears. She couldn't stand people who cried, because it always left a dent in her heart, especially if the person happened to be important for her. "I don't think I'm the woman you're looking for." She concluded, as professionally as possible, even though the words caused her to choke a little and her heart to break. Did she really mean that? Her hands balled into fists and she resisted tears. "So, I should be the one who's sorry."