Gene frowns. "I'm not sure that wanting to believe in me will be enough. She did before - want to believe in me, I mean. And I paid her back with scorn and betrayal."

He picks up the cup again, drinks, and pauses. That's...is that oregano? Tea should not be tasting like pasta. He puts the cup down, a little further away from himself than it had been when he started. It's rude not to finish it; he'll keep drinking it. Slowly. In small doses.

"I don't know if continuing to be who I am now would help. Tony says I'm...good...now. But I don't know if I believe that."