Chapter 3

Claire's hand clenched around the tube of ointment, and green salve squeezed out across her palm.

"Noah, what did you say?"

"We're over." I said it again.

Disgust flashed across her face. "I already said I'd marry you. Now you're threatening to leave just to hurry me along?"

I nodded. "That's right. And when the threat doesn't work, I'll go marry somebody else."

She laughed, cold. "If you could really walk away from me, you wouldn't have come all the way out here to put on a show. You went after Ash just now to back me into a corner. I promised I'd marry you. Why do you have to be jealous over nothing?"

She turned back toward Ash and ignored the tears gathering in my eyes.

I watched her from behind. My legs were getting heavier and they shook every time I shifted my weight, but I made myself walk away anyway. I only wanted distance from the sight of the two of them.

"Noah." Claire called after me. I stopped, and some small, stupid part of me still hoped.

Then she said, "We're rushing the shooting schedule, so I'm staying at Ash's place for the next three days. When we're finished I'll come back and take you down."

I kept walking.

A stretch of trail that usually took half an hour took me nearly twice as long, and by the time I reached our house my leg gave out and I collapsed onto the threshold. Grandpa heard the sound and came running.

"Noah! What happened?"

I opened my mouth and no sound came. My whole leg felt swollen and hot. When he rolled up my trouser leg, he sucked in a breath. My ankle was badly swollen and the skin had gone dark and broken from days of walking on it.

Men up here live by their legs. Planting, carrying firewood, crossing slopes, working fields — all of it depends on being able to walk.

Grandpa's eyes turned red. He crouched and held my leg with shaking hands.

"You foolish boy, how could you do this to yourself? That woman broke her word again and again, and you've nearly ruined your own leg waiting on her. What are you supposed to do with the rest of your life?"

I lowered my head and tears fell silently onto my hands. I could hurt, I could get tired, I could be afraid. But for years I'd held onto one thought: one more trip, one more wait, and maybe this time she'd come.

Grandpa wiped my face. "At least your marriage is settled now. Three days, then you marry. The girl from the next village is kind. She'll know how to look after you."

I closed my eyes and the pain spread through my chest.

The next day Claire came back, with Ash behind her.

"Why are you sitting out here?"

I didn't answer. Then she saw my swollen ankle, and surprise crossed her face, lasting less than a second before her expression hardened.

"What are you trying to pull now? Ash's leg got infected, so you decided to hurt yourself too, just for the attention? I already said I'd take you out of these mountains. Stop trading on the fact that I care about you."

Trading on it. I tried to lift my leg and couldn't. So this was me taking advantage of her.

I closed my eyes and the tears finally came. "I'm getting married."

She gave me an impatient look. "You're saying that again just to get a rise out of me. I need to take Ash down for treatment. Think about how you've been acting."

Then she walked off without looking back.