[How to respond to that?] Thank you...but it's only the logical conclusion to draw from what you've told me. What else could I possibly think?

[Low sigh.]

A lesson I learned the hard way. [Not that he expected it to make him feel better, but it felt like something he had to do. But to feel worse afterward was an unwelcome surprise. And it only served to make him a target for Arcee, further unhinging her....]