PART 18:

They’re squishy, but they won’t hurt you. Want me to show you? She took the kid’s hand and guided it gently into the water, patient and encouraging. The kid’s face lit up when he touched his first sea star. Victoria watched Emma’s kindness and thought about Ryan’s wife. Sarah, the woman Emma barely remembered, but who’d clearly left her mark in all the ways Emma approached the world.

“She’s really good with other kids,” Victoria said quietly to Ryan. “Yeah, she is.” Ryan was watching his daughter with an expression that was equal parts pride and sadness. “Sarah was like that, too. Could make anyone feel safe.” It was the first time he’d voluntarily mentioned his wife to Victoria. Not a wall going up, but a door opening slightly.

She sounds like she was amazing. She was. Emma’s lucky she got so much of her. You’re lucky, too, that you had her. Ryan looked at Victoria. I am. Even though losing her almost killed me, I’m still grateful I got those years. I’m sorry that you lost her, that Emma lost her. Me, too. He paused. But I’m trying to figure out how to live anyway. for Emma and for myself.

Victoria understood what he wasn’t saying. That letting someone new in felt like betrayal. That loving again felt impossible and terrifying. That he was trying anyway because Emma needed to see that life could still be good even after devastating loss. The aquarium trip ended at 3. Tired, overstimulated children were loaded back into cars.

Emma fell asleep before they left the parking lot, her stuffed squirrel clutched in her arms. Ryan drove back to Aspen in comfortable silence. No radio, just the sound of the road and Emma’s soft breathing from the back seat. “Thank you,” Ryan said quietly. “For coming, for actually showing up.” “I said I would.

I know, but I didn’t fully believe you until you were actually there at 7:20 this morning.” Victoria looked out the window at the mountains sliding past. “I know I need to earn your trust back. This was just a start. It was a good start. They drove for a while longer. Then Ryan said, “I’ve been thinking about what you wrote in that letter.

” Victoria’s stomach tightened and and I understand why you did it, the testing, the fake identity. I get that you were protecting yourself. He kept his eyes on the road, but I also keep thinking about all the conversations we had, all the times you could have told me the truth and didn’t. I know I was scared of what? That I’d judge you for having money? No.

That you’d look at me differently? That you’d start seeing me as Victoria Hail, the CEO, instead of just the person you were getting to know. But that’s who you are. You can’t separate yourself from that. I know. I was trying to. Anyway, Ryan was quiet for a moment. Here’s what I can’t figure out.

If you were so worried about people loving you for your money, why didn’t you tell me the truth once you realized I didn’t care about money once you saw that I was different? It was a fair question. One Victoria had asked herself a hundred times because by then I was in too deep, she admitted. Every day I didn’t tell you made it harder to tell you.

And I was terrified that when I finally did, you’d realize I’d been lying the whole time and leave, which is exactly what happened. I didn’t leave because you’re rich. I left because you lied. I know. Do you? Because I need you to understand that the money doesn’t matter to me. The penthouse and the company and the billions. None of that changes how I feel about you.

What changes how I feel is wondering if I can trust anything you say. Victoria felt tears threatening. How do I fix that? Time, consistency, showing up when you say you will, being honest even when it’s hard. He glanced at her. Today was good, but it’s one day. I need to know this is who you actually are, not just who you’re trying to be to win me back.

This is who I want to be. Want to be and actually being are different things. He was right. Victoria had spent her whole life performing. Being the daughter her parents wanted, being the CEO her investors needed, being Tory Brennan, the struggling office worker. She’d gotten so good at being what others expected that she’d lost track of who she actually was underneath.

Maybe that was the real problem. Not the lying, but the fact that Victoria herself didn’t know who the real Victoria was. They pulled up to Ryan’s apartment. Emma woke up when the car stopped groggy and confused. “Are we home?” she mumbled. “We’re home, Bug.” Ryan unbuckled her. “Come on, let’s get you inside.” Victoria started to say goodbye, but Emma grabbed her hand.

Will you stay for dinner, please? I’m not ready for you to leave yet. Ryan looked at Victoria. It’s up to her. Victoria thought about all the work waiting for her, the emails piling up, the calls she needed to return, the board meeting she’d rescheduled twice already. Then she looked at Emma’s sleepy, hopeful face. I’d love to stay for dinner.

Emma’s smile made every abandoned responsibility worth it. Inside, Ryan made pasta while Emma sat at the table drawing pictures of all the sea creatures they’d seen. Victoria helped where she could, though her cooking skills were limited to things that came in takeout containers. Can you open this? Ryan handed her a jar of sauce that wouldn’t budge.

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