The gala had ended and the last of the guests had gone. Only Jasper remained, waiting alone.
He sat hunched forward, shoulders slumped, and the instant his ears caught the sound of footsteps behind him, he shot to his feet and lunged toward them.
"Hilda!"
The chair legs scraped across the floor with a piercing shriek.
"It really is you. It's really you. I knew I wasn't seeing things. It's really you."
Hilda stepped aside, dodging the hand he reached toward her.
"My father doesn't know about you and me. Don't come looking for me again."
Jasper's pupils trembled. His lips went white. "Hilda, you can't do this."
"You have no idea how long I've been searching for you. When I found out what happened, I nearly lost my mind. You can't even imagine what people have been saying about me behind my back. Hilda, look at me."
"I'm begging you. Look at me."
Hilda didn't so much as flinch. The fear that rose inside Jasper was unlike anything he'd ever felt, and his voice shook with it.
"Hilda, I know you resent me. And yes, it was my fault. But I'll make it up to you. All of it."
"Whatever you want, I can give it to you. I'll start planning the wedding right now, okay? We can go back to the way things were. We can just—"
Hilda cut him off. She couldn't stand another word.
"Jasper. Why?"
He blinked. "What?"
Every syllable fell like a stone. "Why do you assume that an apology entitles you to my forgiveness? Why do you take it for granted that I still want to marry you? Why, after you destroyed everything, do you have the nerve to stand in front of me?"
"So tell me, Jasper. Why?"
His mouth opened. Nothing came out.
Hilda turned and walked away, but for reasons she couldn't fathom, Jasper followed, trailing her like a shadow that refused to detach.
"I never realized the great Jasper Fairmont was this shameless. Or maybe I wasn't clear enough. Which word didn't you understand?"
His voice was raw with grief. "Hilda, please don't talk to me like that."
"I'm begging you. Don't speak to me this way. I can't take it."
In every memory he had of her, Hilda had always spoken to him softly, gently. In all their years together, she had been the one to back down after every argument. He simply could not absorb the distance between who she'd been and who stood before him now.
He wanted to keep trying, but his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He had no choice but to stop. He looked at Hilda with an expression that was equal parts desperate and pleading.
"I'll make this right. I mean it, Hilda. Wait for me."
Hilda didn't turn around.
She had far too much to do, too much to learn. But the person who came looking for her before Jasper could try again wasn't who she expected.
It was Vivienne.
"Hilda?"
Hilda turned. Vivienne stood three paces away.
She wore an all-white suit today, her makeup immaculate, but no amount of concealer could hide the bruised shadows beneath her eyes.
"It really is you, Hilda. You're actually—you're actually her!"
Her jaw clenched. Her entire body trembled with fury. "You're the daughter the Summers family found!"
"No wonder Jasper looked like someone had ripped his soul out at the gala. You're back."
Hilda offered a thin, indifferent smile. "It's been a while, Vivienne."
Vivienne's voice shot up an octave. "Hilda! You knew about your real family all along, didn't you? You hid it on purpose! You wanted Jasper to go crazy over you! You showed up at the welcome gala deliberately. This is revenge. You're punishing him. You're punishing both of us!"
"You must be so pleased with yourself. After you vanished, Jasper tore this city apart looking for you like a man possessed. He even risked offending my parents just to postpone the wedding!" Her voice cracked, sharp and jagged. "You ruined my entire life!"
