Chapter 3

He stood there, watching me for a long time.

By the time the bread was gone and the cat had run off, he had disappeared.

"When I went to the Bennett family to ask for your hand, I asked for you by name," Alexander said.

A shock went through me.

"The Bennett family told me Charlotte was in poor health and couldn't marry. They said Vivian was unmarried, beautiful, talented, and a perfect match for the Hart family."

His voice turned cold. "They refused to let you marry me."

I tightened my grip on his sleeve.

Alexander continued. "I refused, and we were deadlocked for six months. Later, when I heard Vivian planned to run away from the wedding, I knew they would put you in the bridal car."

He leaned back and looked straight into my eyes. "So I waited for three years."

Tears blurred everything in front of me. I could barely make him out through the red in his eyes.

"How did you know I'd keep pretending?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He smiled faintly.

"Because I had someone send money to Vivian's account every three months."

He raised a hand and wiped the tears from my face. "If you didn't want to stay here, that money meant you could leave at any time. But you never did in three years."

I trembled all over.

"Every day when I came home, I saw you here," he said. "You made me coffee, left a light on, and ironed my shirt for the next day. Three years, and not once did you run."

He pulled me into his arms and rested his chin on my head.

"Charlotte," he said, calling my real name for the first time while fully awake. "The one I married was always you."

That night, he held me in the dark and told me how he survived those six months. At the wedding, his heart had skipped when he saw me walking toward him.

He told me how every night, when he came home and found me waiting in the living room, he wanted to rush over and hold me but was afraid of scaring me.

"I was afraid you would leave if you knew I recognized you," he said. "So I pretended not to know for three years."

Lying against his chest, I listened to his heartbeat.

"How were you so sure I wouldn't leave?" I asked.

He looked down at me. "Because I had someone install something on your phone."

I went still.

"I saw every message Vivian sent you," he said. "The first time, she said she was going to Aethelgard, and you deleted it."

"The second time, she said she had gone to Valoria, and you deleted that too. When she wanted to return, you still deleted the message."

His voice was soft, with a hint of amusement. "That was when I knew you didn't want to leave."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I buried my face against his chest and stayed quiet for a long while.

"Are you mad?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Lottie," he said.

"Hmm?"

"Come somewhere with me tomorrow," he said.

"Where?"

He didn't answer, only held me tighter.