"Later, circumstances forced me to leave… and to break up with him," she continued softly. "You probably wouldn't expect it, but I was the one who ended things. He never wanted to."
She paused, studying my expression.
"You've noticed how he travels every July, haven't you?"
My breath caught slightly.
"The truth is… he goes to see me," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "Because that's the season we first met."
My breath hitched, my mind going blank as my heart trembled violently. I didn't want to believe a single word Lilian said… but I couldn't deny it either. Deep down, I knew she was telling the truth.
From the very first year of our marriage, Alexander had traveled every July—and those trips were always unusually long. I had foolishly assumed he was trying to reconnect with me.
But now I understood.
They had never lost contact.
