“I should have.”
“You could have exposed them.”
“I was afraid they would isolate Gracie before we could protect her.”
Noah lowered his head.
“And part of me believed I could fix everything quietly.”
Gracie Knew
I looked at the contract crushed between my hands.
“Did Gracie know?”
Noah nodded.
“I told her about a year into our marriage.”
My breath caught.
“What did she say?”
“She cried.”
He gave a broken little smile.
“Then she laughed.”
“Why?”
“She said she always knew something about the wedding was strange because your parents were far too pleased.”
Despite everything, that sounded exactly like Gracie.
“She asked whether you loved her?”
“Yes.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I loved her before either of us even understood what marriage meant.”
Noah pressed his hands together.
“She said she wanted to keep me anyway.”
I almost laughed through my tears.
“Why didn’t either of you tell me?”
