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“Hi, Charlotte,” the man spoke as he set the brown bag on the counter next to the sink.

“Charlotte, this is my cousin, Sebastian.”

“Hi,” I managed a small smile. “I’ve been told that I love your food.”

He breathed out a laugh. “Yeah. You do. How are you feeling?”

“Sore and tired.”

“You’ll feel better in no time. I need to get back to the restaurant.”

“Thanks, Sebastian.” Conner hugged him.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon.” Sebastian gave me a sympathetic smile before leaving the room.

Conner reached into the bag and pulled the food from it.

“It smells good,” I spoke.

“It’s delicious.” He removed the lid from the container, pulled the tray over, and set it in front of me.

“Whitefish?” I asked.

“Your favorite.” He smiled as he removed a roll from the bag and set it down. “Also, your favorite.” He pulled out a small clear container.

“That looks like butter,” I spoke.

“It’s Sebastian’s cherry butter. You can’t live without it. Actually, none of us can.”

“How long have we been engaged?” I asked him as I buttered my roll.

“Two weeks. But we’ve been dating for over a year.”

“I find it hard to believe.”

“Why?” His brows furrowed.

“Because I don’t date. I have some major trust issues. There are things I never want people to find out about me, so I keep my distance. I can’t wrap my head around any of this.”

“Babe—”

“Please don’t call me that,” I said.

“Charlotte, we’re here to take you down for a CT scan,” my nurse spoke when she walked into the room.

“Okay. Thank you for getting me something to eat, Conner. When I get back from my scan, I want to be alone for the rest of the night. So, I would appreciate it if you weren’t here when I return.”

His eyes burned into mine, and I could see the tears start to swell.

“I’m sorry, but I need to be alone.”

“Okay, Charlotte.”

“You’ll need to remove your ring,” my nurse spoke.

I took it off and placed it in Conner’s hand.

* * *