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“Yes?” I pro

“I think this is right I think we’re right”

He gestured to our waitress, who brought over two flutes of chane on a tray She set them down on the table, and my heart sank a little This see special, and this was about as stereotypical as you could get

But as I looked inside the glass, I didn’t see a ring

Maybe I rong Maybe Daddy had misunderstood Maybe it was all just

Then he was down on one knee, looking at me The restaurant went quiet, and I heard the other patrons whispering Everyone stared at us

No excite

“Lereat honor of beco my wife?”

I looked at this handsome man whom I had known my entire life He had been my first love The first boy I ever kissed My parents adored him He was ambitious and worked harder than any man I’d ever met He would be a partner in his father’s law firrand—opera, arthim I would finally be the woman my family had alanted me to be

He was stable Safe Comfortable Faood life together To and branding, I would find a job in Atlanta, and then ould settle down and everything would be just as I’d always pictured

The only probleined I’d feel happier than a tick on a fat dog when I got engaged

Instead I only felt empty

To hts of Dante crept in The last tiether, what had happened between us, and how ee, to not be the person I was The wo choice

This ive me the future I wanted I kneould never hurt me

“Yes, Sterling,” I said “I will marry you”

Chapter 1

I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long ti between us But I can’t keep this secret froer I’mBatman