Chapter 12: The Day Before

"Em," Cecelia said.

She took another step and stopped.

The wind had put color in her cheeks, and her eyes were wet.

"Thank you for coming. I didn't think you would."

"You have ten minutes," I said.

"I know." She wrapped her arms around herself.

"I made a mistake. I made a huge one, and I'm not going to pretend I didn't."

Cormac stood a pace behind her with his hands in his coat, saying nothing.

"I should have let you stand in front of the camera at thirty million," Cecelia said.

"I should have told you the truth that day instead of making you feel small. I was scared you'd leave if you were popular."

"That's not the truth."

"It's part of it." She took a small box out of her pocket and held it in both hands.

"I carried this ring all the way from home. It's yours. I'll get it resized."

"Em, I want to come home with you and start over."

She opened the lid.

It was the plain gold band, wide and heavy, lying in black velvet.

"It's a size too big," I said.

"I'll get it fixed, I told you."

"Whose size is it?"

She blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"The ring. A jeweler doesn't pick a size by accident." I looked at it.

"It slid off my finger. It was cut for a bigger hand."

"Em, I told you. It was a mistake."

"I thought that too."

I took my phone out of my pocket.

My thumbs weren't steady, and I had to take my glove off to use the screen.

Keep reading free with an account. Start Three's a Crowd: Quitting My Couple Channel from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.