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“I was. I was sure about the future I wanted — my own future.”
“But I thought you loved Niko. Or at least that you liked him.”
“He’s a great guy. But we never really had that spark, you know?”
Lily nodded slowly, although she looked a little confused.
“I was relieved that we weren’t going to be married,” Maisy continued. “But then, when I stepped into the wedding hall, Niko was there at the front of the room. Or I thought he was. When we said our vows, he made a little quip, and I realized that it wasn’t Niko at all — it was Xander.”
“What?” Lily’s eyes were even wider now and she was leaning forward. “Why?”
“He couldn’t find Niko anywhere and wanted to save me the embarrassment of being stood up, and Niko the embarrassment of missing his own wedding. What he didn’t know was that the marriage was legally binding, even though he was masquerading as his brother. Anyway, that’s why I got pulled into a meeting right after the ceremony and why I got hustled onto the plane right after, before we could talk.”
“So you went on your honeymoon… with Xander? And you were married to him?”
“Yes.”
“After he tricked you like that?” Lily looked deeply affronted, and Maisy almost laughed.
“Believe me, I was upset with him at first. Very upset. Furious. But he was so apologetic, so understanding… and he brought out a new side of me. An adventurous side. We started talking to each other. It was electric, Lily. It was the romance I’ve always dreamed of.”
“You dream of romance?” Lily raised her eyebrows. “But you always seem so… practical.”
“I try to be. But with Xander, I didn’t have to try to be anything. He accepted me just as I am. And then, yesterday, we…” Maisy quickly censored herself. “We kissed. And we spent a day together.”
“What?” Lily shook her head. “Maise, do you… do you love Xander?”
Suddenly, unbidden, tears sprung to Maisy’s eyes. She nodded. It was true. She loved Xander. No matter that he didn’t love her back. No matter that it was foolish. When she was with him, she felt like a better, braver version of herself. When she was with him, she felt more alive than ever.
“Well, what’s going to happen now? Are you going to marry Xander instead?”
Lily’s innocence broke Maisy’s heart all over again.
“That isn’t exactly an option. We had a wonderful day together, and I really thought he felt the same way. He said some very kind things. But when we were called back to Aenicea, I suggested that we might leave what happened on the island behind us, and he agreed right away. He clearly didn’t want anything else to do with me.”
“Oh, Maisy.” Lily’s big eyes were filled with tears now. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
Maisy felt tears spill down her own cheeks. Then she felt Lily’s arms around her.
“It’s going to be okay,” Lily said.
“I don’t think so. Now I’m back here, and our parents have agreed that I should marry Niko — even though neither of us loves the other.”
Lily pulled away. She was still teary, but she looked even more confused. “I’m just wondering. You said you love Xander. So, why did you tell him to leave what happened on the island?”
“I was trying to do the right thing.” Maisy sniffed and wiped away an errant tear. “If Xander were with me, it would mean hurting his family and giving up on a lot of things. It would make both our lives more complicated. I wanted to make sure that he felt the same way about me, and it’s a good thing I did, because he clearly doesn’t feel the same way.”
“And now you’re marrying Niko, even though you don’t love him? And he doesn’t love you?”
Maisy nodded. “If I can’t be with the man I love, I might as well do the right thing for my family. It all feels like such a mess.”
Lily hugged her again. “We’re going to make it right.”
Maisy wasn’t confident in her sister’s words, but it was nice that Lily was saying them anyway. At least Maisy had her wonderful sister.
That was something.
Maisy just needed to hold on to the love she had for her family tomorrow, during her wedding day. It would be the only love she had.
