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She picked up the book cautiously "Are you sure?"

"I’, Haven headed for the door, but she hesitated before she reached it "Not long after I got here, you asked me not to call you Master because it made you feel like my father Michael Antonelli was a horrible , you’ve been kinder toood ood s"

His expression re hiloss over with tears "Thank you, Haven"

Haven Her nan as he finally said it She wiped her tears as she walked out, knowing there was nothing left to say She stepped out into the hallway at the same time Carmine came up the stairs She eyed him peculiarly "You’re ho "How are you today?"

"Okay"

He cocked an eyebrow at her "Okay? Is that an, ‘Okay, I’ ato throw onna tell you because you’ll stoppeachy, Carhed "I’m justokay Especially now that you’re here"

He kissed her before the two of the into the chairs in the library, Carazed at the cover of the journal

"You still reading The Secret Garden?" he asked

"No, I finished that book o"

"Really? What happened in it?"

He didn’t truly sound interested, his gaze on his fingers as he struuitar, but she sirl comes to the conclusion that the mean rieving because he lost his wife She makes friends with the son, who the father can’t face for a long tiers stilled, theas he looked at Haven "No shit?"

She shook her head "Nope"

"Fate," he said, his eyes drifting from her to the book on her lap "My ave it to ain,the room as sunshine streamed in on them fro with love as her favorite passage froest things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and eversometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and someti in the library with the scarred boy who had stolen her heart, his deep green eyes twinkling as the beautiful notes poured froertips

Sempre Nowould ever take that away Their love existed, despite everything else, and it was that love that would go on forever Thethe constraints put on theone, when life continued on, a part of the--and everyone--they ever touched

She turned back to the journal and opened it Taking a deep breath, she read the first line:

Today is my first day as a free woman