Semua Bab The War Ended, My Life Began: Bab 1 - Bab 10

I looked up and there he was.Young Julian Marchetti, standing on my front porch in his army uniform, medals glinting in the sunlight."Elena," he said. "Lydia’s not feeling well. Can you cover her shift at the factory today?"In my last life, I would have nodded. I would have smiled and said "of course, Julian" and spent twelve hours on my feet while Lydia rested.Not this time."Her health isn’t my problem," I said, my voice perfectly calm.I turned and walked back inside, leaving him staring at my back.I could feel his confusion radiating through the door. But I didn’t care.I walked straight down the block to the post office.Johnny was behind the counter sorting mail, his usual cigarette dangling from his lip. I planted both hands on the counter and asked."Any mail for me?""Not yet, Elena."I slid the tin of almond cookies I’d baked that morning across the counter."When my letter comes, no one gets it but me. You understand?"Johnny blinked, taken aback by my intensity. He nod

No one moved or breathed.Julian stared at me, his hand pressed to his cheek, his eyes wide with shock.In thirty years, I’d never once raised my voice to him, let alone hit him. I might as well have been a stranger.My father roared with rage from the doorway.He grabbed my arm and dragged me up the stairs, throwing me into my bedroom and turning the key in the lock."You can come out when you’ve come to your senses!" he shouted through the door. His heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs.Late at night, the door was unlocked from the outside.It was Lydia. She stood in the middle of my room, smiling like she owned the place."Julian loves me," she whispered. "He always has. But he’s too honorable to abandon you after all these years."She stepped closer, her voice soft and poisonous."So he’ll marry you. He’ll give you his name, his house, his children. So to make up for what I sacrificed, he gave this to me."She pulled the real acceptance letter from her coat and waved it in fro

The Whitmore brownstone on the Upper East Side was elegant and quiet. Sebastian was in the study reading when we walked in, and he stood immediately, smiling. "Elena Conti. I was hoping you would come."A servant brought tea and sandwiches, and I ate hungrily. When I finished, Sebastian leaned forward. "Tell us what happened. Why were you in that alley alone?"I told them everything calmly: Julian’s debt to the Carters, the stolen acceptance letter, and the forced wedding.Sebastian stood and walked to the window, lighting a cigarette. "I took Julian under my wing because I thought he was a war hero with honor. But stealing a young woman’s future? That’s despicable." He turned back. "Don’t worry about Vassar. I have a friend on the board. I’ll make sure Lydia never sets foot there."He paused for a while, then continued.“Julian won’t give up easily. I have a better idea. A friend is dean of Columbia Business School. He owes me a favor. You’ll have to take the entrance exams, but

A week later, Lydia got a letter from Vassar. Her acceptance had been revoked, no reason given. She ran to Julian. He called every contact he had, pulled every string, but no one would help. In desperation, he went to the Manhattan military base to see Sebastian. The guards turned him away, saying the general did not wish to see him.Julian left confused and angry. Sebastian had been like a father to him. Why would he refuse to help?Three days later, a letter arrived from Sebastian. Julian opened it with shaking hands, and his world collapsed.Dear Mr. Marchetti,I have found the soldier who was with you and Mr. Carter in Normandy. He has given a sworn statement. Mr. Carter did not save your life out of heroism. He knew he was dying of his wounds. He bribed the soldier to shoot at you, then stepped in front of the bullet. He did this so you would owe him a debt, so you would take care of Lydia for the rest of your life. You were a fool to believe them.Sincerely, Sebastian Whitmore

Sebastian’s birthday party was held at the Plaza Hotel. The ballroom was filled with New York’s elite. I had just finished giving Sebastian his gift when I heard a voice behind me that made my blood run cold."Elena?"I turned slowly. There he was. Julian Marchetti. He was older now, lines around his eyes, gray at the temples. His eyes were wide with shock, as if he had seen a ghost."Elena," he took a step toward me. "Is it really you?"I didn’t answer. I turned and walked toward the French doors leading to the garden. I heard his footsteps behind me.We walked to the lake at the edge of the garden. I stopped and turned to face him."What do you want, Julian?" I said, my voice cold."I’ve been looking for you," he said, his voice breaking. "For seven years. I’ve looked everywhere. I thought I would never see you again.""I’m so sorry, Elena," he said, tears in his eyes. "I was a fool. I believed their lies. I threw away the best thing that ever happened to me. I would give anything