Chapter 7

　　The salty sea breeze stung my face.

　　Above me, Lily’s laughter rang out, light and carefree.

　　I lifted my gaze.

　　There he was.

　　Brooks.

　　He stood on the balcony, blow-drying her hair, his movements slow, deliberate—loving.

　　Familiar.

　　A scene I had once been part of, now playing out with someone else in my place.

　　It should have been me.

　　But I was nothing more than a bystander now.

　　Lily leaned into him, utterly at ease in his arms. And I…

　　I couldn’t move.

　　Her laughter froze me in place.

　　I squeezed my hands into fists, nails digging into my palms.

　　What if I told him the truth?

　　That I was his mate.

　　Would he believe me? Would he remember?

　　Or would he only pity me?

　　I didn’t want his sympathy.

　　I wanted his love.

　　By the time I managed to pull myself together and return to my room, it was already past midnight.

　　Doctor Reynolds was still awake.