Stanle

s of long, rambling letters that I threw away without reading. I heard through the grapevine of online gossip that his marriage to Cassidy was a disaster. She was spending money faster than he could mak

It was Forrest' s laughter in the library, the shared victory

ther started calling again, this time from a

r Christmas. It' s been months. Yo

man who had long ago ceded all emotional authority to my mother. An

the lie tasting like ash in my mouth. My

ll send the jet. Just for a

, pricked at me. Against my better judgment, I fou

ou sure about this, Ellie? You don' t have to go

ince myself as much as him. "It' s just a coupl

I knew I had made a terrible mistake. The house, usually immaculate and s

s Cas

my hand. I stopped in the doorway, an unseen ob

aked, her designer dress rumpled. Jace stood by the fireplace, his face pale and haggard. He looked ten

logue!" Cassidy shrieked, pointing a trembling finge

weary, defeated. "The merger isn' t yielding the profi

her! Don' t think I don' t know about the money you sent to that pathetic

it had nothing to do with Ellie," Jace l

her! You' ve always loved her! You

t his face. He caught her wrists, his expression a

relief washed over her face. "Ellie! Thank God you' re he

hat I almost laughed. After a lifetime of being pitted against ea

my voice quiet but firm. "This is the life you all ch

assigned part was the greatest offense. She turned away from

om. It was just as I had left it, but it felt like a museum exhibit of a

a soft, grey wool. He' d told me, blushing, that his grandmother had taught him how to knit last year. I wrapped it around my

re was a soft k

e stood in the hallway, looking lost. Th

e asked, his voice

ked in, his shoulders slumped. He looked aroun

that came months too late. "A catastrophic mistake. Cassidy... she' s

ace? You pursued a woman who valued status and wealth above al

"It was an infatuation. A stupid, meaningless distraction.

miss the peace you brought to my life. I think...

t of my every dream, now felt like an insult. It was a des

ea of me. The quiet, stable, predictable girl who would manage your life and your assets without complaint.

urgency. "We can set up a trust for the child. We can be to

brushing my arm. I flinched

h whisper. "You and I are over. We were over the moment y

s face crumpled, the last of his defenses falling a

ered, his voice breaking.

shed it without a second thought. I felt nothing. Not pity, not ange

said, opening the door. "Now yo

r any sign of the girl I used to be. He found nothing. He turned

ng, before anyone else was awake, I took my suitcase, walked out of that house for the last time, and