Chapter 18: The Locket's Message
Ella POV
The package arrived at dawn, slipped under my door like a secret. No return address. No markings except my name in handwriting that made my breath catch.
Nathaniel's.
I tore it open with shaking hands, my heart hammering against my ribs. Inside, wrapped in soft cloth, was the locket he'd tried to send before. The one Kane had supposedly intercepted.
The silver felt warm against my palm, as if it had absorbed some of his heat. I opened it carefully, and there we were. Our wedding day. His eyes are full of love. Mine is full of hope. Two people who had no idea what was coming.
Behind the photo, folded impossibly small, was a note.
*I choose you. Always. No matter what it costs me. No matter what they say. I choose you, Ella. I choose our son.
