Chapter 4

When the applause began, I left the ceremony area.

A narrow path behind the terrace led toward a side gate. I followed it along the hedge until the leaves muffled the applause behind me.

Only then did I realize I was still gripping my phone.

All I could see in my mind was that ring.

I had to bite down hard on my lower lip to keep the tears from falling.

Seven years ago, Alexander and I had lived in a tiny apartment. My drawing desk stood beside the kitchen, and whenever he opened the refrigerator, its door would bump against the back of my chair.

The night I finished the first sketch of the ring, he wrapped a thin strip of paper around my finger and wrote the measurement on the back of the page.

He told me that when we finally held our wedding, he would place that ring on my finger himself.

Later, the money we had saved for the ceremony went into Vale's first collection.

As the company grew, Alexander became busier, and the wedding kept being postponed.

I had always believed he remembered his promise.

Now I knew that he did.

He remembered the venue and kept the sketch.

He had simply given both to Camille.

I opened my conversation with Alexander and typed:

Where are you?

My finger hovered over the send button.

After a moment, I deleted the words.

I had already seen where he was. There was no point asking a question when I knew the answer.

A tear fell onto the screen and blurred his profile picture.

As I raised my hand to wipe it away, someone held out a packet of tissues.

I looked up.

The man standing before me was tall and dressed in a dark suit. There was something familiar about his face, although he wore no boutonniere and didn't seem to be one of the wedding guests.

"Thank you."

I took a tissue and wiped the tears from my phone.

He glanced toward the ceremony but didn't ask why I was crying.

"The side gate ahead leads straight to the parking lot. You can leave without passing any of the guests."

I thanked him and continued in the direction he had indicated.

Just as I reached the gate, his voice came from behind me.

"Evie."

I paused.

No one had called me that in years.

I looked back at him. He appeared ready to walk toward me, but several staff members pushing catering carts passed between us.

Another burst of applause rose from the terrace.

I didn't wait.

I turned and walked through the side gate.

I had no strength left to place a familiar face or wonder how he knew my childhood nickname.

I followed the path back to the parking lot and got into my car, leaving the packet of tissues on the passenger seat.

The car was silent.

I rested my hands on the steering wheel and waited for my breathing to steady before starting the engine.

Before I walked out of that house for good, I would wait for Alexander to come home.

I wanted to hear him tell me where he had been today.