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My jaw tightens.

“But I regret leaving you.” Her voice breaks against my chest. “I regret that I won't see Damian grow up. I won't be there when Darlene shifts. I won't watch Arian take his first steps.”

Her fingers twist into my shirt. “I wanted more time.”

I close my eyes. “So did I.”

For a while, we just hold each other beneath the glowing tree. Then Arlene pulls back.

“I left things for them.”

“What things?”

“My notebook. You'll need it.”

Despite everything, I almost laugh. “Of course you left me instructions.”

“You're welcome.”

A broken sound escapes me. She smiles.

“There are letters too. Birthdays, graduations, first heartbreaks, mates, weddings. Things I thought they might need to hear from me.”

My throat closes.

“And recordings.”

“Recordings?”

“For all three of them. Until they're thirty.”

I stare at her.

“Selena helped me.”

Of course she did.

“They're stored in my cloud account. Everything you need to access them is written inside the notebook.”

“Where?”

“In the bottom drawer of my desk. There's a false bottom. Push down on the back left corner and it'll release.”

I memorize every word.

“The notebook is there. The letters are there. The information for the recordings is there.”

I nod. Her hand touches my cheek.

“Darian.”

I cover it immediately.

“You have to live.”

“No.”

“Yes.”