Chapter 10

<p>Fiona's smile finally faltered. "Of course it matters. If the person my son gets serious with doesn't even know his past, then I've failed as a mother."</p><p>She said "the person my son gets serious with." That meant she was already thinking about the possibility of Ethan and me ending up together.</p><p>But at the same time, she made sure to mention the town girl, paying off debts, and 10 million dollars to send her packing.</p><p>It was all to make one thing clear. The Blackwood family had high standards, and the last girl who didn't make the cut was shown the door. To join, I would need to meet their standards.</p><p>"Thank you for being so honest, Mrs. Blackwood," I said, standing up. "The meal was wonderful. Thank you for having me."</p><p>Fiona stood up as well, her smile back to being perfectly composed. "Ms. Hart, let's have coffee together sometime."</p><p>I nodded and turned to leave the private room.</p><p>As I reached the club entrance, Sophia hurried after me. "Ms. Hart."</p><p>I stopped.</p><p>She stepped in front of me, standing close. "There's something Mrs. Blackwood couldn't say, so I'll say it."</p><p>"Go ahead," I said.</p><p>Sophia looked me straight in the eye. "The day Ethan got divorced, he called me. He said that after three years, he could finally start living his own life."</p><p>Her voice was calm, but every word felt like a knife. "He said those three years were the biggest waste of his life."</p><p>I looked at her. "And then?"</p><p>Sophia gave a small smile. "That's it. I wanted you to know his last marriage left him with baggage.</p><p>"It was an arranged marriage with a town girl, a mismatch in social standing, an arranged marriage between two people who had never even met. The way he brought it up, it sounded like a joke."</p><p>She patted my shoulder. "Ms. Hart, I hope you can bring something new into his life. Don't let him feel like he's throwing away his time again."</p><p>Sophia turned and walked back into the club.</p><p>I stood at the entrance. The snow had stopped falling, and the cold air bit at my skin. Each breath I let out turned into little clouds, drifting away and disappearing into the night.</p><p>I pulled out my phone and texted Emily: [Count me in for the gathering.]</p><p>Emily replied almost instantly: [You finally made up your mind?]</p><p>I slipped my phone back into my pocket.</p><p>There was a maple tree by the entrance. In winter, its branches were dark and bare, stripped of all leaves.</p><p>Standing beneath it, a memory suddenly hit me.</p><p>Three years ago, on the night I married into the Blackwood family, I sat alone in the courtyard of the Blackwood residence, under a tree. Not a maple, but an oak.</p><p>That night, I waited and waited for a call that would never come.</p><p>*****</p><p>The piano gathering was held in a private garden on the east side of Kingsford. It was a small gathering, about thirty people, all big names in the piano scene.</p><p>Ethan showed up. He was wearing a dark gray coat, a lot more laid-back than the suits he'd worn at the last two events. But the moment he saw me, his eyes locked onto mine.</p><p>He walked over and stood beside me. "You're here."</p><p>"You made it, too," I replied.</p><p>"I told you I'd be here," he said.</p><p>I didn't respond and walked over to the display.</p><p>There were several rare antique pianos on display today, including one called Aether. It was completely black, with delicate blossom patterns etched across its surface.</p><p>I stopped in front of it.</p><p>Ethan came up beside me. "You like this one?"</p><p>"Yeah," I replied.</p><p>"Aether. An antique piano, once the private treasure of a court musician." He spoke about it so naturally that it didn't sound like he was reciting from memory.</p><p>I glanced at him. "You did your research?"</p><p>"When I decide to learn about something, I go all in," he replied.</p><p>Some of the veterans from the piano scene noticed us. One of them, an elderly man with white hair, walked over. He was an old friend of my mentor, Henry Vance.</p><p>When Henry spotted me, his face broke into a genuinely pleased smile. "Reed, it's been so long. The last time we met was at Mr. Carter's memorial, wasn't it?"</p><p>"Mr. Vance," I greeted him.</p><p>Henry gave my arm a friendly pat, then noticed Ethan. "And who's this?"</p><p>"A friend," I replied.</p><p>Ethan didn't say anything to correct me, but his lips quirked a little.</p><p>Henry gave Ethan a once-over, then leaned in and whispered to me, "Reed, when Silas was still around, what he worried about most was who you'd end up with. If he could see you with someone now, he'd be really happy."</p><p>I smiled and let it go.</p>