Chapter 21
Pacing by the fire in the hotel parlour, Tessie's damp dress and loose hair clung to her body as her heart raced. In one meeting it had all spilled out fresh before her. The remnants of Aileen she had taken so much care to bury were laid bare again. She ached with it. A familiar bile rose up from her belly and she couldn't tell if it was anger or grief, but it was an old feeling that rumbled to her core.
To Aileen, everything had a price. A cost. Whether it be money or affection. Tessie should have known if she had allowed her thoughts to go there. In all her years away, she had found something else to be true. Her love for Finn had no price. And his love for her cost her nothing. It was not an exchange. Not a negotiation. Not everything was a trade.
Daylight crept in through
