“Hannah, you look even lovelier than the last time I saw you,” Emma said, planting a kiss on each of my cheeks before shoving a wrapped gift box into my hand. “Yes, I know you said no gifts, but I don’t care.”“I figured you wouldn’t,” I laughed, making a mental note to return that one to her as wel
HannahAs the four traitors walked into the room, Marcus gripped his champagne glass so tight that the stem snapped in his hands. Nearby guests gasped as the foamy drink spilled onto the floor, but Marcus didn’t even seem to notice. He just stared at his four cohorts in shock.“As you can all tell b
Noah shook his head in disbelief. “But you arranged a marriage between me and Hannah,” he said. “You and Hannah’s father agreed—”“I am nothing if not a man of opportunity,” Marcus hissed. “When Hannah’s father presented a business deal of a lifetime, a sizable share in Silvermoon’s mines, well… I f
HannahThe prison van was already waiting outside by the time Marcus realized that he had been wholly, truly, trapped.“Did you really think that no one here would record your evil villain speech, Dad?” Noah said, clapping his hand on his father’s shoulder. “I thought you were smarter than that.”Ma
“You’re all welcome to stay for cake and champagne if you’re not too put off by the whole experience,” I said with a small smile. “But no, it’s not a real engagement party. We just needed a way to get Marcus to come to the house before he left the country again.”I paused, feeling a bit guilty, then
Hannah With the old ring submerged beneath the pond’s surface and the new ring glittering on my finger, Noah and I made our way back to the house, where the party had apparently returned in full swing—with even more fervor this time. As we stepped back into the house, we were met with the sound
My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth to tell him that he had no reason to blame himself; he was only trying to do what he thought was right at the time. But he held up one hand to stop me, his eyes glistening with unshed tears in the dim light. “I failed you, Hannah. As your father, I should hav
Hannah It was late as I sat in my office, the glow from the lamp on my desk casting long shadows across the walls. My phone buzzed endlessly as I scrolled through the flood of reactions to Emily’s documentary finale. The footage of Marcus’s confession had seemingly gone viral overnight, sweeping t
Noah pushed himself harder, letting out a playful howl as he gained on her, the hunt pulsing through his veins like a drug. She glanced back, her ears twitching, and he saw her eyes flash with excitement before she put on an extra burst of speed. It became a game of cat and mouse, each of them pus
Noah For the millionth time that morning, Noah’s gaze drifted from the stack of papers on his desk to the stretch of forest that was visible through the office window. The afternoon light filtered through the trees, casting that familiar, deep green hue over the landscape. Just seeing the expans
Noah didn’t say anything, just looked at it with a faint smile, his hand sliding over Melody’s stroller handle. I could tell that he liked it. A lot. “That’s beautiful,” I said, glancing at the price tag. “If you want it, you should buy it.” I gestured to my own bags sitting in the back of the str
Hannah Amber’s big move weighed on me for days. I was happy for her, genuinely. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss her like hell. And with her going-away party coming up, I wanted to do something special before she left. I thought about finding her a small going-away gift, just a
Amber shook her head, blinking quickly to dispel her tears. “It’s like this weight I can’t shake. No amount of therapy is helping. And I realized... I think I just need to get away. I need to start over, somewhere far from here. Somewhere I can figure out who I really am, without all the... the bagg
Hannah When Amber called and said she wanted a girls’ night, I nearly dropped my phone. The last time we had all had a proper girls’ night, just us, had been… Well, I actually couldn’t remember the last time. Maybe not since Melody had been born. Of course I said I would go even though it was a
Noah took a deep breath, nodding. “You’re right.” “And then there’s your father,” he mused after a beat of silence. “He thought he was protecting you, setting you up for a safe future by arranging our marriage, but… he never really stopped to think about what you were getting into. He never took t
Hannah It took some time to get Melody to bed that night, what with all the sugar and excitement of the overwhelming day. Noah and I had to take turns pacing back and forth across the nursery, bouncing her and cooing to her until she finally gave up and let her eyes flutter closed. By the time s
Sighing, I said softly, “I could say the same for myself. But people change.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “Yeah, I guess they do. Thank you, Hannah. Really. I wouldn’t have even thought about it if you hadn’t put in a good word for me.” I shrugged, brushing it off with a smile. “I just suggested th