Chapter 6
I ended every wedding arrangement that night.
Not postponed.
Ended.
Ainsley asked me to wait forty-eight hours.
No.
People use time differently after boundaries become clear.
Sometimes to reflect.
Sometimes to rebuild the argument.
I did not need another argument.
The engagement ended because she had turned my daughter’s grief into competition.
Nolan said:
“You’re throwing away two years.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
Two years happened.
Good dinners.
Travel.
Love.
Arguments.
Real affection.
Ending something does not make the past fake.
It simply means the future is no longer owed.
Ainsley cried.
“I love you.”
“I know.”
That was the hardest part.
If she had never loved me, everything would have been simpler.
May you like
But people can love and still control.
Love is not proof of safety.
