Chapter 10: The Weight of Goodbye

I carried the box of books I’d just organized and prepared to go downstairs.

Derek glanced at the box in my hands and suddenly spoke.

“Aubrey, where are you taking these books?”

I didn’t want to stir up trouble. “Reading, to pass the time.”

Derek looked steadily into my eyes. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The attic fell silent. The old beams creaked overhead, and my own heartbeat echoed in my ears.

Natalie broke the silence, smiling with her eyes. “Can you really finish all those books, Aubrey? Why not leave them for someone who truly loves books?”

She picked up the top book and turned to Derek, eyes sparkling. “Derek, this is exactly the rare medical text I was searching for.”

A surge of anger rose in me. I replied stiffly, “Taking without asking is stealing. Please give my book back, Natalie.”

Natalie’s eyes reddened instantly, tears brimming. She clutched the book as if I’d slapped her, her lower lip trembling.

Derek’s face turned cold, voice icy. “Aubrey, that was uncalled for.”

I thought I was already numb, but Derek’s cold words still hurt. I turned away, swallowing the bitterness in my mouth.

He seemed to realize he’d spoken too harshly and softened his tone. “You can’t finish all these at once. Could you let Natalie have this one, and you read the others first?”

So even Derek Miller could plead for his beloved.

I murmured, dazed, “What if I insist on reading this one first?”

Derek frowned, not catching my words. “Aubrey?”

Looking into Derek’s cold dark eyes, I finally let go. “Fine. Whatever you say, Derek.”

News of the Miller-Taylor engagement spread through Savannah. Once again, I became the talk of the town.

People laughed at me for trying to catch a prince and ending up with nothing. The whispers followed me from the Piggly Wiggly to the church steps—Savannah’s favorite pastime was other people’s heartbreak.

As the city buzzed, Marcus arrived early in town. I went to see the house he’d bought—a little place on Habersham, with an old porch swing and peeling paint. For the first time in years, I felt hope—a fresh start, all my own.

When I returned, it was already late. At the Miller estate gate, we ran into Derek. He rode up on his bike as I stepped out of Marcus’s car, his hand steadying me.

Our eyes met. Derek’s gaze was icy, fixed on my hand resting on Marcus’s arm. The streetlamps flickered above us, and for a heartbeat, the past and present tangled together, the air heavy with things unsaid. Derek’s knuckles tightened on his handlebars, and I wondered—if this was our second chance, why did it hurt just as much?