“Yeah.”
“He’s jealous.”
“No, not jealous . . .” I should have kept my mouth shut. There was no way to explain this right. But I
wanted to keep talking anyway. I hadn’t realized I was so starved for human conversation. “Edward thinks
Jacob is . . . a bad influence, I guess. Sort of . . . dangerous. You know how much trouble I got in a few
months back. . . . It’s all ridiculous, though.”
I was surprised to see Angela shaking her head.
“What?” I asked.
“Bella, I’ve seen how Jacob Black looks at you. I’d bet the real problem is jealousy.”
“It’s not like that with Jacob.”
“For you, maybe. But for Jacob . . .”
I frowned. “Jacob knows how I feel. I’ve told him everything.”
“Edward’s only human, Bella. He’s going to react like any other boy.”
I grimaced. I didn’t have a response to that.
She patted my hand. “He’ll get over it.”
“I hope so. Jake’s going through kind of a tough time. He needs me.”
“You and Jacob are pretty close, aren’t you?”
“Like family,” I agreed.
“And Edward doesn’t like him. . . . That must be hard. I wonder how Ben would handle that?” she
mused.
I half-smiled. “Probably just like any other boy.”
She grinned. “Probably.”
Then she changed the subject. Angela wasn’t one to pry, and she seemed to sense I wouldn’t — couldn’t
— say any more.
“I got my dorm assignment yesterday. The farthest building from campus, naturally.”
“Does Ben know where he’s staying yet?”
“The closest dorm to campus. He’s got all the luck. How about you? Did you decide where you’re going?
”
I stared down, concentrating on the clumsy scrawl of my handwriting. For a second I was distracted by
the thought of Angela and Ben at the University of Washington. They would be off to Seattle in just a few
months. Would it be safe then? Would the wild young vampire menace have moved elsewhere? Would there
be a new place by then, some other city flinching from horror-movie headlines?
Would those new headlines be my fault?
I tried to shake it off and answered her question a beat late. “Alaska, I think. The university there in
Juneau.”
I could hear the surprise in her voice. “Alaska? Oh. Really? I mean, that’s great. I just figured you’d go
somewhere . . . warmer.”
I laughed a little, still staring at the envelope. “Yeah. Forks has really changed my perspective on life.”
“And Edward?”
Though his name set butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I looked up and grinned at her. “Alaska’s not too
cold for Edward, either.”
She grinned back. “Of course not.” And then she sighed. “It’s so far. You won’t be able to come home
very often. I’ll miss you. Will you e-mail me?”
A swell of quiet sadness crashed over me; maybe it was a mistake to get closer to Angela now. But
wouldn’t it be sadder still to miss out on these last chances? I shook off the unhappy thoughts, so that I could
answer her teasingly.
“If I can type again after this.” I nodded toward the stack of envelopes I’d done.
We laughed, and it was easy then to chat cheerfully about classes and majors while we finished the rest —
all I had to do was not think about it. Anyway, there were more urgent things to worry about today.
I helped her put the stamps on, too. I was afraid to leave.
“How’s your hand?” she asked.
I flexed my fingers. “I think I’ll recover the full use of it . . . someday.”
The door banged downstairs, and we both looked up.
“Ang?” Ben called.
I tried to smile, but my lips trembled. “I guess that’s my cue to leave.”
“You don’t have to go. Though he’s probably going to describe the movie for me . . . in detail.”
“Charlie will be wondering where I am anyway.”
“Thanks for helping me.”
“I had a good time, actually. We should do something like this again. It was nice to have some girl time.”
“Definitely.”
There was a light knock on the bedroom door.
“Come in, Ben,” Angela said.
I got up and stretched.
“Hey, Bella! You survived,” Ben greeted me quickly before going to take my place by Angela. He eyed
our work. “Nice job. Too bad there’s nothing left to do, I would have . . .” He let the thought trail off, and
then restarted excitedly. “Ang, I can’t believe you missed this one! It was awesome. There was this final fight
sequence — the choreography was unbelievable! This one guy — well, you’re going to have to see it to know
what I’m talking about —”
Angela rolled her eyes at me.
“See you at school,” I said with a nervous laugh.
She sighed. “See you.”
I was jumpy on the way out to my truck, but the street was empty. I spent the whole drive glancing
anxiously in all my mirrors, but there was never any sign of the silver car.
His car was not in front of the house, either, though that meant little.
“Bella?” Charlie called when I opened the front door.
“Hey, Dad.”
I found him in the living room, in front of the TV.
“So, how was your day?”
“Good,” I said. Might as well tell him everything — he’d hear it from Billy soon enough. Besides, it would
make him happy. “They didn’t need me at work, so I went down to La Push.”
There wasn’t enough surprise in his face. Billy had already talked to him.
“How’s Jacob?” Charlie asked, attempting to sound indifferent.
“Good,” I said, just as casual.
“You get over to the Webers’？”
“Yep. We got all her announcements addressed.”
“That’s nice.” Charlie smiled a wide smile. He was strangely focused, considering that there was a game
on. “I’m glad you spent some time with your friends today.”
“Me, too.”
I ambled toward the kitchen, looking for busy work. Unfortunately, Charlie had already cleaned up his
lunch. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the bright patch of light the sun made on the floor. But I knew
I couldn’t delay this forever.
“I’m going to go study,” I announced glumly as I headed up the stairs.
“See you later,” Charlie called after me.
If I survive, I thought to myself.
I shut my bedroom door carefully before I turned to face my room.
Of course he was there. He stood against the wall across from me, in the shadow beside the open
window. His face was hard and his posture tense. He glared at me wordlessly.
I cringed, waiting for the torrent, but it didn’t come. He just continued to glare, possibly too angry to
speak.
“Hi,” I finally said.
His face could have been carved from stone. I counted to a hundred in my head, but there was no change.
“Er . . . so, I’m still alive,” I began.
A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression didn’t change.
“No harm done,” I insisted with a shrug.
He moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand.
“Bella,” he whispered. “Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line today? To breaking
the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?”
I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night.
“You can’t!” I said too loudly. I worked to modulate the volume of my voice so Charlie wouldn’t hear,
but I wanted to shout the words. “Edward, they’d use any excuse for a fight. They’d love that. You can’t ever
break the rules!”
“Maybe they aren’t the only ones who would enjoy a fight.”
“Don’t you start,” I snapped. “You made the treaty — you stick to it.”
“If he’d hurt you —”
“Enough!” I cut him off. “There’s nothing to worry about. Jacob isn’t dangerous.”
“Bella.” He rolled his eyes. “You aren’t exactly the best judge of what is or isn’t dangerous.”
“I know I don’t have to worry about Jake. And neither do you.”
He ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the
wall, and I hated the space between us.
I took a deep breath, and crossed the room. He didn’t move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next
to the warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through the window, his skin felt especially icy. He
seemed like ice, too, frozen the way he was.
“I’m sorry I made you anxious,” I muttered.
He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around my waist.
“Anxious is a bit of an understatement,” he murmured. “It was a very long day.”
“You weren’t supposed to know about it,” I reminded him. “I thought you’d be hunting longer.”
I looked up at his face, at his defensive eyes; I hadn’t noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were
too dark. The rings under them were deep purple. I frowned in disapproval.
“When Alice saw you disappear, I came back,” he explained.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Now you’ll have to go away again.” My frown intensified.
“I can wait.”
“That’s ridiculous. I mean, I know she couldn’t see me with Jacob, but you should have known —”
“But I didn’t,” he broke in. “And you can’t expect me to let you —”
“Oh, yes, I can,” I interrupted him. “That’s exactly what I expect —”
“This won’t happen again.”
“That’s right! Because you’re not going to overreact next time.”
“Because there isn’t going to be a next time.”
“I understand when you have to leave, even if I don’t like it —”
“That’s not the same. I’m not risking my life.”
“Neither am I.”
“Werewolves constitute a risk.”
“I disagree.”
“I’m not negotiating this, Bella.”
“Neither am I.”
His hands were in fists again. I could feel them against my back.
The words popped out thoughtlessly. “Is this really just about my safety?”
“What do you mean?” he demanded.
“You aren’t . . .” Angela’s theory seemed sillier now than before. It was hard to finish the thought. “I
mean, you know better than to be jealous, right?”
He raised one eyebrow. “Do I?”
“Be serious.”
“Easily — there’s nothing remotely humorous about this.”
I frowned suspiciously. “Or . . . is this something else altogether? Some vampires-and-werewolves-are-
always-enemies nonsense? Is this just a testosterone-fueled —”
His eyes blazed. “This is only about you. All I care is that you’re safe.”
The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt.
“Okay,” I sighed. “I believe that. But I want you to know something — when it comes to all this enemies
nonsense, I’m out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes
between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are . . . well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect
to love you for much longer than that. The love of my existence. I don’t care who’s a werewolf and who’s a
vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party, too.”
He stared at me silently through narrowed eyes.
“Switzerland,” I repeated again for emphasis.
He frowned at me, and then sighed. “Bella . . . ,” he began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in
disgust.
“What now?”
“Well . . . don’t be offended, but you smell like a dog,” he told me.
And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the fight was over. For now.
Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and so he was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmett,
and Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a mountain lion problem.
We’d come to no agreement on the werewolf issue, but I didn’t feel guilty calling Jake — during my brief
window of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home before climbing back in through my window — to
let him know I’d be coming over on Saturday again. It wasn’t sneaking around. Edward knew how I felt. And
if he broke my truck again, then I’d have Jacob pick me up. Forks was neutral, just like Switzerland — just
like me.
So when I got off work Thursday and it was Alice rather than Edward waiting for me in the Volvo, I was
not suspicious at first. The passenger door was open, and music I didn’t recognize was shaking the frame
when the bass played.
“Hey, Alice,” I shouted over the wailing as I climbed in. “Where’s your brother?”
She was singing along to the song, her voice an octave higher than the melody, weaving through it with a
complicated harmony. She nodded at me, ignoring my question as she concentrated on the music.
I shut my door and put my hands over my ears. She grinned, and turned the volume down until it was just
background. Then she hit the locks and the gas in the same second.
“What’s going on?” I asked, starting to feel uneasy. “Where is Edward?”
She shrugged. “They left early.”
“Oh.” I tried to control the absurd disappointment. If he left early, that meant he’d be back sooner, I
reminded myself.
“All the boys went, and we’re having a slumber party!” she announced in a trilling, singsong voice.
“A slumber party?” I repeated, the suspicion finally settling in.
“Aren’t you excited?” she crowed.
I met her animated gaze for a long second.
“You’re kidnapping me, aren’t you?”
She laughed and nodded. “Till Saturday. Esme cleared it with Charlie; you’re staying with me two nights,
and I will drive you to and from school tomorrow.”
I turned my face to the window, my teeth grinding together.
“Sorry,” Alice said, not sounding in the least bit penitent. “He paid me off.”
“How?” I hissed through my teeth.
“The Porsche. It’s exactly like the one I stole in Italy.” She sighed happily. “I’m not supposed to drive it
around Forks, but if you want, we could see how long it takes to get from here to L.A. — I bet I could have
you back by midnight.”
I took a deep breath. “I think I’ll pass,” I sighed, repressing a shudder.
We wound, always too fast, down the long drive. Alice pulled around to the garage, and I quickly looked
over the cars. Emmett’s big jeep was there, with a shiny canary yellow Porsche between it and Rosalie’s red
convertible.
Alice hopped out gracefully and went to stroke her hand along the length of her bribe. “Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Pretty over-the-top,” I grumbled, incredulous. “He gave you that just for two days of holding me
hostage?”
Alice made a face.
A second later, comprehension came and I gasped in horror. “It’s for every time he’s gone, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
I slammed my door and stomped toward the house. She danced along next to me, still unrepentant.
“Alice, don’t you think this is just a little bit controlling? Just a tiny bit psychotic, maybe?”
“Not really.” She sniffed. “You don’t seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. Especially
when I can’t see them. Edward has no way to know if you’re safe. You shouldn’t be so reckless.”
My voice turned acidic. “Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious
behavior.”
Alice laughed. “I’ll give you a pedicure and everything,” she promised.
It wasn’t so bad, except for the fact that I was being held against my will. Esme brought Italian food —
the good stuff, all the way from Port Angeles — and Alice was prepared with my favorite movies. Even
Rosalie was there, quietly in the background. Alice did insist on the pedicure, and I wondered if she was
working from a list — maybe something she’d compiled from watching bad sitcoms.
“How late do you want to stay up?” she asked when my toenails were glistening a bloody red. Her
enthusiasm remained untouched by my mood.
“I don’t want to stay up. We have school in the morning.”
She pouted.
“Where am I supposed to sleep, anyway?” I measured the couch with my eyes. It was a little short.
“Can’t you just keep me under surveillance at my house?”
“What kind of a slumber party would that be?” Alice shook her head in exasperation. “You’re sleeping in
Edward’s room.”
I sighed. His black leather sofa was longer than this one. Actually, the gold carpet in his room was
probably thick enough that the floor wouldn’t be half bad either.
“Can I go back to my place to get my things, at least?”
She grinned. “Already taken care of.”
“Am I allowed to use your phone?”
“Charlie knows where you are.”
“I wasn’t going to call Charlie.” I frowned. “Apparently, I have some plans to cancel.”
“Oh.” She deliberated. “I’m not sure about that.”
“Alice!” I whined loudly. “C’mon!”
“Okay, okay,” she said, flitting from the room. She was back in half a second, cell phone in hand. “He
didn’t specifically prohibit this . . . ,” she murmured to herself as she handed it to me.
I dialed Jacob’s number, hoping he wasn’t out running with his friends tonight. Luck was with me —
Jacob was the one to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Jake, it’s me.” Alice watched me with expressionless eyes for a second, before she turned and went
to sit between Rosalie and Esme on the sofa.
“Hi, Bella,” Jacob said, suddenly cautious. “What’s up?”
“Nothing good. I can’t come over Saturday after all.”
It was silent for a minute. “Stupid bloodsucker,” he finally muttered. “I thought he was leaving. Can’t you
have a life when he’s gone? Or does he lock you in a coffin?”
I laughed.
“I don’t think that’s funny.”
“I’m only laughing because you’re close,” I told him. “But he’s going to be here Saturday, so it doesn’t
matter.”
“Will he be feeding there in Forks, then?” Jacob asked cuttingly.
“No.” I didn’t let myself get irritated with him. I wasn’t that far from being as angry as he was. “He left
early.”
“Oh. Well, hey, come over now, then,” he said with sudden enthusiasm. “It’s not that late. Or I’ll come up
to Charlie’s.”
“I wish. I’m not at Charlie’s,” I said sourly. “I’m kind of being held prisoner.”
He was silent as that sunk in, and then he growled. “We’ll come and get you,” he promised in a flat voice,
slipping automatically into a plural.
A chill slid down my spine, but I answered in a light and teasing voice. “Tempting. I have been tortured —
Alice painted my toenails.”
“I’m serious.”
“Don’t be. They’re just trying to keep me safe.”
He growled again.
“I know it’s silly, but their hearts are in the right place.”
“Their hearts!” he scoffed.
“Sorry about Saturday,” I apologized. “I’ve got to hit the sack” — the couch, I corrected mentally — “but
I’ll call you again soon.”
“Are you sure they’ll let you?” he asked in a scathing tone.
“Not completely.” I sighed. “’Night, Jake.”
“See you around.”
Alice was abruptly at my side, her hand held out for the phone, but I was already dialing. She saw the
number.
“I don’t think he’ll have his phone on him,” she said.
“I’ll leave a message.”
The phone rang four times, followed by a beep. There was no greeting.
“You are in trouble,” I said slowly, emphasizing each word. “Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are
going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home.”
I snapped the phone shut and placed it in her waiting hand. “I’m done.”
She grinned. “This hostage stuff is fun.”
“I’m going to sleep now,” I announced, heading for the stairs. Alice tagged along.
“Alice,” I sighed. “I’m not going to sneak out. You would know if I was planning to, and you’d catch me if
I tried.”
“I’m just going to show you where your things are,” she said innocently.
Edward’s room was at the farthest end of the third floor hallway, hard to mistake even when the huge
house had been less familiar. But when I switched the light on, I paused in confusion. Had I picked the wrong
door?
Alice giggled.
It was the same room, I realized quickly; the furniture had just been rearranged. The couch was pushed to
the north wall and the stereo shoved up against the vast shelves of CDs — to make room for the colossal bed
that now dominated the central space.
The southern wall of glass reflected the scene back like a mirror, making it look twice as bad.
It matched. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter than the walls; the frame was black, made of
intricately patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound in vines up the tall posts and formed a bowery
lattice overhead. My pajamas were folded neatly on the foot of the bed, my bag of toiletries to one side.
“What the hell is all this?” I spluttered.
“You didn’t really think he would make you sleep on the couch, did you?”
I mumbled unintelligibly as I stalked forward to snatch my things off the bed.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” Alice laughed. “See you in the morning.”
After my teeth were brushed and I was dressed, I grabbed a puffy feather pillow off the huge bed and
dragged the gold cover to the couch. I knew I was being silly, but I didn’t care. Porsches as bribes and king-
sized beds in houses where nobody slept — it was beyond irritating. I flipped off the lights and curled up on
the sofa, wondering if I was too annoyed to sleep.
In the dark, the glass wall was no longer a black mirror, doubling the room. The light of the moon
brightened the clouds outside the window. As my eyes adjusted, I could see the diffused glow highlighting the
tops of the trees, and glinting off a small slice of the river. I watched the silver light, waiting for my eyes to get
heavy.
There was a light knock on the door.
“What, Alice?” I hissed. I was on the defensive, imagining her amusement when she saw my makeshift
bed.
“It’s me,” Rosalie said softly, opening the door enough that I could see the silver glow touch her perfect
face. “Can I come in?”
7. UNHAPPY ENDING
ROSALIE HESITATED IN THE DOORWAY, HER BREATHTAKing face unsure.
“Of course,” I replied, my voice an octave high with surprise. “Come on in.”
I sat up, sliding to the end of the sofa to make room. My stomach twisted nervously as the one Cullen who
did not like me moved silently to sit down in the open space. I tried to come up with a reason why she would
want to see me, but my mind was a blank on that point.
“Do you mind talking to me for a few minutes?” she asked. “I didn’t wake you or anything, did I?” Her
eyes shifted to the stripped bed and back to my couch.
“No, I was awake. Sure, we can talk.” I wondered if she could hear the alarm in my voice as clearly as I
could.
She laughed lightly, and it sounded like a chorus of bells. “He so rarely leaves you alone,” she said. “I
figured I’d better make the best of this opportunity.”
What did she want to say that couldn’t be said in front of Edward? My hands twisted and untwisted
around the edge of the comforter.
“Please don’t think I’m horribly interfering,” Rosalie said, her voice gentle and almost pleading. She folded
her hands in her lap and looked down at them as she spoke. “I’m sure I’ve hurt your feelings enough in the
past, and I don’t want to do that again.”
“Don’t worry about it, Rosalie. My feelings are great. What is it?”
She laughed again, sounding oddly embarrassed. “I’m going to try to tell you why I think you should stay
human — why I would stay human if I were you.”
“Oh.”
She smiled at the shocked tone of my voice, and then she sighed.
“Did Edward ever tell you what led to this?” she asked, gesturing to her glorious immortal body.
I nodded slowly, suddenly somber. “He said it was close to what happened to me that time in Port
Angeles, only no one was there to save you.” I shuddered at the memory.
“Is that really all he told you?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, my voice blank with confusion. “Was there more?”
She looked up at me and smiled; it was a harsh, bitter — but still stunning — expression.
“Yes,” she said. “There was more.”
I waited while she stared out the window. She seemed to be trying to calm herself.
“Would you like to hear my story, Bella? It doesn’t have a happy ending — but which of ours does? If we
had happy endings, we’d all be under gravestones now.”
I nodded, though I was frightened by the edge in her voice.
“I lived in a different world than you do, Bella. My human world was a much simpler place. It was
nineteen thirty-three. I was eighteen, and I was beautiful. My life was perfect.”
She stared out the window at the silver clouds, her expression far away.
“My parents were thoroughly middle class. My father had a stable job in a bank, something I realize now
that he was smug about — he saw his prosperity as a reward for talent and hard work, rather than
acknowledging the luck involved. I took it all for granted then; in my home, it was as if the Great Depression
was only a troublesome rumor. Of course I saw the poor people, the ones who weren’t as lucky. My father
left me with the impression that they’d brought their troubles on themselves.
“It was my mother’s job to keep our house — and myself and my two younger brothers — in spotless
order. It was clear that I was both her first priority and her favorite. I didn’t fully understand at the time, but I
was always vaguely aware that my parents weren’t satisfied with what they had, even if it was so much more
than most. They wanted more. They had social aspirations — social climbers, I suppose you could call them.
My beauty was like a gift to them. They saw so much more potential in it than I did.
“They weren’t satisfied, but I was. I was thrilled to be me, to be Rosalie Hale. Pleased that men’s eyes
watched me everywhere I went, from the year I turned twelve. Delighted that my girlfriends sighed with envy
when they touched my hair. Happy that my mother was proud of me and that my father liked to buy me pretty
dresses.
“I knew what I wanted out of life, and there didn’t seem to be any way that I wouldn’t get exactly what I
wanted. I wanted to be loved, to be adored. I wanted to have a huge, flowery wedding, where everyone in
town would watch me walk down the aisle on my father’s arm and think I was the most beautiful thing they’d
ever seen. Admiration was like air to me, Bella. I was silly and shallow, but I was content.” She smiled,
amused at her own evaluation.
“My parents’ influence had been such that I also wanted the material things of life. I wanted a big house
with elegant furnishings that someone else would clean and a modern kitchen that someone else would cook
in. As I said, shallow. Young and very shallow. And I didn’t see any reason why I wouldn’t get these things.
“There were a few things I wanted that were more meaningful. One thing in particular. My very closest
friend was a girl named Vera. She married young, just seventeen. She married a man my parents would never
have considered for me — a carpenter. A year later she had a son, a beautiful little boy with dimples and curly
black hair. It was the first time I’d ever felt truly jealous of anyone else in my entire life.”
She looked at me with unfathomable eyes. “It was a different time. I was the same age as you, but I was
ready for it all. I yearned for my own little baby. I wanted my own house and a husband who would kiss me
when he got home from work — just like Vera. Only I had a very different kind of house in mind. . . .”
It was hard for me to imagine the world that Rosalie had known. Her story sounded more like a fairy tale
than history to me. With a slight shock, I realized that this was very close to the world that Edward would
have experienced when he was human, the world he had grown up in. I wondered — while Rosalie sat silent
for a moment — if my world seemed as baffling to him as Rosalie’s did to me?
Rosalie sighed, and when she spoke again her voice was different, the wistfulness gone.
“In Rochester, there was one royal family — the Kings, ironically enough. Royce King owned the bank
my father worked at, and nearly every other really profitable business in town. That’s how his son, Royce
King the Second” — her mouth twisted around the name, it came out through her teeth — “saw me the first
time. He was going to take over at the bank, and so he began overseeing the different positions. Two days
later, my mother conveniently forgot to send my father’s lunch to work with him. I remember being confused
when she insisted that I wear my white organza and roll my hair up just to run over to the bank.” Rosalie
laughed without humor.
“I didn’t notice Royce watching me particularly. Everyone watched me. But that night the first of the roses
came. Every night of our courtship, he sent a bouquet of roses to me. My room was always overflowing with
them. It got to the point that I would smell like roses when I left the house.
“Royce was handsome, too. He had lighter hair than I did, and pale blue eyes. He said my eyes were like
violets, and then those started showing up alongside the roses.
“My parents approved — that’s putting it mildly. This was everything they’d dreamed of. And Royce
seemed to be everything I’d dreamed of. The fairy tale prince, come to make me a princess. Everything I
wanted, yet it was still no more than I expected. We were engaged before I’d known him for two months.
“We didn’t spend a great deal of time alone with each other. Royce told me he had many responsibilities
