“I don’t even remember you being there.”
“I don’t remember you either.”
His smile carried both sadness and wonder.
“My grandmother found this negative years later.”
He gently touched the edge of the frame.
“She realized we’d been captured in the same photograph.”
Victor finally broke the silence.
“So what?”
His voice sounded unusually tired.
“It proves destiny?”
Ethan shook his head.
“No.”
“It proves absolutely nothing.”
He looked directly at me.
“I never loved Amelia because of this picture.”
His voice became warmer.
“I loved her because she argued with me about tomato prices.”
A tiny smile tugged at my lips.
“You remember that?”
“I remember every word.”
“You said heirloom tomatoes weren’t worth twice the price.”
“They weren’t.”
“They absolutely were.”
“They still aren’t.”
Despite everything…
A quiet laugh escaped me.
Ethan smiled.
“I fell in love with you after we met.”
He took one careful step toward me.
“After you got mud on your shoes helping my niece chase escaped chickens.”
Another step.
“After you apologized to a waitress because another customer had been rude.”
Another.
“After you cried when my old dog died.”
His voice softened.
“This room was never meant to prove you belonged to me.”
He looked around the shed.
“It was meant to remind me how strange life can be.”
“How two people can spend years walking past each other…”
“…and still have to choose each other when the time finally comes.”
Victor’s jaw tightened.
“You always make being poor sound beautiful.”
Ethan gave a tired smile.
“And you always make love sound like a transaction.”
For the first time all night…
Victor’s polished confidence cracked.
“You think this is about money?”
“No.”
Ethan looked at him calmly.
“I think you believe everything has a price.”
Victor slowly turned toward me.
“I offered you everything.”
I met his eyes.
“No.”
He frowned.
“You offered me everything you value.”
Silence.
“You offered houses.”
Silence.
“Private planes.”
Silence.
“Jewelry.”
Silence.
“But you never offered to understand me.”
His shoulders lowered.
“You followed us here tonight.”
“I was worried.”
“No.”
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