My eyes filled with tears.
“I want that, too.”
“Then why are we still letting her make us feel guilty?”
I didn’t answer.
He took my hand.
“I’m not asking you to rush into anything. I’m asking you to stop living as though loving me is something you need to apologize for.”
I looked at him.
And that was the moment we made a decision that changed everything.
We would stop letting other people define our relationship.
We would tell the truth, even if the truth made people uncomfortable.
We would accept responsibility for our choices instead of blaming the world for them.
And if we loved each other enough to build a future together, we would have the courage to do it openly.
Our first public appearance as a couple after the investigation was at the neighborhood’s autumn fundraiser.
Delaney was there.
She stood beside a table of donated raffle prizes, talking to two women who had once defended her online.
