To them, that marriage would unite two wealthy families. No matter how many times I explained that I truly loved Adrian, they refused to listen.
So we got married anyway. Until the very last moment, I kept hoping my parents would change their minds and appear at the wedding.
They didn’t. Instead, they cut me off. My sister stopped calling. My cousin disappeared from my life.
Eventually… almost everyone in the family did the same. Ten years passed.
I didn’t even know where my parents were anymore. Not once during those years did they wish me a happy birthday.
They never contacted me when either of my children was born. It still hurt.
But I learned to keep living. Yesterday was Adrian’s and my tenth wedding anniversary.
That evening, we went to Maplewood Café beside Evermere Lake in Bellmere.
Adrian seemed unusually pale. Quiet. Distracted. I finally reached across the table.
“Are you okay? Do you feel alright?” He took my hand. “Claire, there’s something I haven’t been able to tell you.”
