15
When I came out of the small cabin after showering and changing, William was waiting for me.
We were heading back. William had been summoned by his family for some urgent matter. And I had a date with Nathaniel. My mind was buzzing with anticipation, already planning which of my pretty new dresses I would wear. Nathaniel loved buying me clothes, and I loved wearing them.
“What’s up?” I asked casually, toweling my hair.
“Sera.”
William suddenly stepped forward and gently took my wrist.
I jumped back as if I’d been burned, stumbling away from him. “Talk, don’t touch.”
William froze, his hand dropping to his side. “Okay. I won’t touch you. Can we just talk, please?”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Does the scar on your forehead still hurt?”
“It stopped hurting a long time ago.”
“I know a really great cosmetic surgeon. I can take you to get the scar removed.”
Chapter 2
08.48
“No, thanks. I’ve already got an appointment.” Nathaniel had already arranged everything. He had promised that by our wedding day, there wouldn
‘t be a trace of a scar left. I would be a radiant bride.
“What happened that day… it was my fault.”
“And the money I promised you-”
“I don’t need it.”
I finally looked up at him, really looking at him for the first time since he’d shown up. I had loved him once. And even though that time was filled
with more heartache than happiness, and ended on the worst possible terms, it wasn’t a war to the death.
I’m a simple person. I prefer to remember the happy things. The unhappiness of the past… I didn’t want to revisit it.
Besides, I had plenty of money now. Nathaniel had given me cupcakes, a betrothal gift, and a massive pre–nuptial fund when we signed the pape-
- rs. My little nest egg was overflowing. I felt secure. I was already running full speed ahead, looking forward, not back.
“Sera.” William’s voice was impossibly gentle. “Can we start over? Let me court you again-”
cut him off. “I can’t relive my twenty–first birthday.”
“And I can’t pretend that the hurt never happened.”
“William, let’s just move on.”
“But… you were the one who liked me first,” he said, his voice pleading. He grabbed the corner of my shirt, refusing to let go.
I smiled a little. “But the person who falls first is the one who holds all the power.”
“I can take my feelings back whenever I want.”
“And I can fall for someone else.”
“That’s impossible, Seraphina.”
“We’ve broken up before, but we always got back together.”
“This time is different.”
I pushed his hand away, stopping him from getting any closer.
“Why?”
i had no intention of telling him my business. So I just smiled and said, “It has nothing to do with you.”
