Chapter 7
It was nearly dawn by the time Emily finally made it home, every step heavy with exhaustion.
The second she flipped on the lights, her phone buzzed–several new messages lit up the screen. ‘All from Lea.
“You’ve been liking all my posts lately, so I’m guessing you already know Damon and I got our marriage license, right? He even promised me a wedding in the Maldives. I’ve seen the pictures of the venue–it’s gorgeous, exactly like we used to imagine when we were kids. I can’t believe he remembered after all these years.”
“Oh, and I should thank you, too. If it weren’t for you, Damon might never have seen the world again. Seriously, thanks for looking after my husband for the past seven years.”
Emily stared at Lea’s shameless taunts, but she couldn’t even summon the energy to be angry. Numb, she just went to her bedroom, lay down, and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Damon didn’t come home that night, either. All she got was a message:
[Emily, I still have things to take care of. Are you hurt badly? If you’re in pain, let me know. I’ll come back right away.]
Emily read his words in silence, eyes burning, emotions swirling behind them. After a long while, she finally replied:
[No need.]
Damon, from now on, I don’t need you anymore.
When her shoulder had finally healed, Emily made her way alone to the old Raines family house. Back when Damon was blind, this was where they’d lived–just the two of them, their own quiet
world.
She grabbed a shovel and went out to the backyard, to the peach tree that still stood tall and lush. Underneath, she’d buried a wish on Damon’s eighteenth birthday. She dug it up.
The metal box was rusty, the glass bottle inside fogged with moisture. She opened it, pulling out the folded paper stars. She gently unfolded one, her own handwriting staring back at her.
“I hope Damon can see the world again. I hope he’ll always be safe and happy. I hope I can stay by his side forever.”
Every wish was for Damon.
Some had come true.
Some never would.
She unfolded the next slip of paper–Damon’s wish.
“I hope I can see again. I hope Lea will always be okay.”
Chapter
Every word was about him and Lea. She wasn’t even in it.
So he’d never blamed Lea for leaving him. He’d taken her place in the accident without hesitation, with no regrets.
A bitter, empty laugh escaped Emily. She crumpled up her wish and tossed it down the drain, then unclasped her necklace.
It was the first present Damon had ever bought her–a gift paid for with the money from his very first business deal after returning to the Raines family. She remembered how she’d worried about the cost, but he had just pulled her close and kissed her, over and over.
“Emily, people say it’s lonely at the top, but as long as you’re with me, I’ll always have the courage to keep going. It’s just a necklace. Someday, everything I have–including myself–will be yours.”
Now, she buried the necklace, and everything it meant.
She filled the hole, patted the dirt flat, and turned to go home.
But as soon as she reached the front door, she ran right into Damon and Lea.
Damon looked surprised to see her. “Emily, what are you doing here?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she threw the question back, “And you? What are you two doing here?”
Before Damon could speak, Lea jumped in, her voice light and sweet. “I haven’t heard Damon play the piano in so long. He said it’s still here, so we came to get it. You know this place best, Emily–why don’t you show us?”
Without waiting for an answer, Lea hooked her arm through Emily’s and led her straight inside.
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