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Chapter 9
I shook my head with a faint smile. “Nathaniel Carter, what we had… it’s over.”
“I’m moving on, little by little. I hope you never appear in front of me again.”
“Nate… it’s too late now. If you had even looked at me at the wedding, asked if I was okay, I would have waited for you without
hesitation.”
“But not anymore.”
He bent forward, eyes full of pain, mouth opening, closing, opening again–yet no words came out. In the end, he left. Just like I wanted, he never came back.
On the first day of living together, Julian Hayes tossed all my medications into the trash.
“Isabelle Hart, with me around, you don’t need this useless stuff,” he said.
I caught the faint curve of his lips and played along. “What if I have an episode?”
Julian’s smile widened, teasing. “What kind of episode? Falling in love with me?”
I laughed, feeling warmth spread through my chest. In his eyes, I was just a normal person–nothing more, nothing less.
When Vanessa Brooks was five months pregnant, she reached out to me again. I thought it over and decided to meet her.
It had been nearly three months since we last saw each other. Her belly had grown, but she still carried that same haughty air. Her gaze was cold, distant, as she spoke first.
“I know everything now, Isabelle. Nathaniel was the boyfriend you searched for over three years.”
She paused, then continued, “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t even bother apologizing. If they can’t hold onto the one they love, it’s their fault. I was just fighting for what I deserved.”
“I don’t think I did anything wrong,” I said evenly.
“But since it’s you, Isabelle Hart, I still can’t apologize. I took your man without knowing, and maybe my methods weren’t exactly honorable. But if I can’t earn your forgiveness, Nathaniel won’t give me the time of day.”
I raised an eyebrow, keeping my voice calm. “Whatever’s between you two has nothing to do with me.”
Vanessa’s nails dug into her palm, and for the first time, her voice softened,
“Isabelle… I’m sorry. I love him. My child needs a father. Even knowing your past, Ican’t leave him. I saved his life once, and as long as I don’t mention divorce, he’ll never leave me. For the sake of… the three years I helped you out, can you forgive me?”
I didn’t respond. I just held her gaze for a long moment. She had changed.
In my memory, Vanessa had always been vibrant, warm, and fiercely independent. She never begged anyone for anything. But now… because of Nathaniel, she humbled herself.
I had once loved Nathaniel Carter with every fiber of my being, lost myself for three years, and wasted three years. I hated Vanessa for
- it.
And now, she was standing right in front of me, consumed by the same obsession I once had.
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I gave her the Portland house. It was decorated in the style Nathaniel liked, but I didn’t need it anymore. Consider it a gift for her child. As for forgiveness… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give it.
Three months later, Julian and I got married. The day we went to get our marriage license, the weather was perfect.
The trip to the County Clerk’s office should have taken an hour, but Julian somehow stretched it into two, driving in circles. I nearly snapped at him a few times but held my tongue.
Chapter 9
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When we finally arrived, the process that should have taken half an hour dragged on for a full hour because of him. I lost it. “If you don’t want to get married, just say so!”
Julian’s lips twitched, and he looked mildly annoyed. “Hey, who do you think I’m doing this for? This is our one chance to get the license. I wanted it to feel special, and here you are yelling at me.”
I took a deep breath and let him have his way. When we left the County Clerk’s office, I held a freshly issued marriage license in my
hands.
For a moment, I felt disoriented. I had dreamed countless times of coming here with Nathaniel. Four years later, I was finally here but I was marrying someone else.
A year later, I gave birth to a daughter. Julian was over the moon, naming her Hope Hayes. I asked him if the name had any special meaning. He looked at me for a long moment before smiling.
“I want it to remind us that love and hope are the most important things in life.”
I smiled back.
Yes.
you
You and Hope… you are the most important things in my life.
Prologue
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