Prologue: Hazel
“I’ve loved him. More than she ever could.” The words feel warm on my tongue. Honest. I keep my focus fixed on the outline before me. I see no judgment in those eyes, I never could. “He gave me up, for her.” The bitterness I’d tried to hide rises. “In days, I understood him more than she did in a lifetime.”
Silence thickens the room. I wear the mask I know too well, to hide my discomfort. I was ready to leave my life behind for him. Tears well in my eyes as emotions swell. I swallow them. He isn’t worthy.
“I could’ve given him everything. Everything.”
Our eyes remain locked.
“Do you regret it?”
The question takes me by surprise. For a moment, I let it hang in the air.
“I kept my promise.” My voice is steady. “So no, I don’t regret a thing.”
