Chapter 9

In the end, John was dragged away from the wedding by his parents.

Strangely, my mood was untouched. If anything, personally cutting off the past left me lighter than I had ever felt before.

I danced with Matt to the music, laughing recklessly while he indulged me with quiet devotion. The sun that day was warm, and the moon hung perfectly round.

That night, after the guests were gone, I washed away my makeup. When I returned, Matt invited me to sit and listen to a story.

I knew he wanted to tell me why he had chosen me.

What I didn't expect was that the story he told… was about me and John.

When John's life had collapsed, Matt—who had always treated his nephew kindly—was afraid John wouldn't survive the blow. He immediately caught a flight home.

And what he walked in on was me, kneeling, begging Samantha not to leave.

He hadn't expected that after she was gone, I would still find the courage to confess to John. Nor had he expected the countless sacrifices I would make for John