“I’ve given up a lot of things I shouldn’t for money,” he said, his voice quiet, as if he was talking to himself. “What happened in that cistern has happened before. Never for that much, of course, but same basic situation. All the other times, I chose the money, and every single time, I regretted it. Not right away. Sometimes not for years. But sooner or later, I always missed what I’d sold, and I couldn’t get it back.” I twisted my hands in my lap. “I—” “But this time was different,” he went on. “This time, you were there. And while I’m regretting the hell out of my choice right now, I think
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