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“But this isn’t over, Alaric,” I say. “There’s still so much to figure out.”

“That’s the thing,” he says. “There’salwaysgoing to be something for us to worry about. That doesn’t mean that we should postpone enjoying life.”

“When are the guests arriving?” I ask.

“We have an hour,” he says, glancing at his watch.

“Okay, we’ll deal with Richard after everyone leaves then,” I say.

There’s other work for me to catch up on as well.

I borrow Alaric’s laptop and go through some of my emails. I get in touch with the estate team to inquire about the damage. My stomach drops when I hear about how much was lost in the fire. But the most important thing is that nobody was harmed.That’s all that really matters.

“You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need,” Alaric says. “It would actually be really nice to have more people around.”

“Thank you,” I say. “It looks like you’re going to be stuck with us for a couple of months.”

“Who knew that all we needed all along was a minor disaster?”

I stare at him.

“Too soon?” he asks.

“Too soon,” I affirm. “Also, I wanted to ask—can you give me your therapist’s phone number?”

“Really?” Alaric asks.

“It’s for Emma,” I say. “I think it would be better if she had a professional to talk to. She’sa strong woman, but she lived in fear for too long. The stalker really messed with her head.”

“You’re going to be such a good husband,” Alaric says, smiling at me like a proud parent.

I look at my friend.

“Maybe I’ll schedule a few sessions with the therapist too,” I say.

Alaric yelps with glee.

The idea of sitting with a stranger and talking about the darkest moments of my life still feels a little unnatural, but I want to be a healed man for Emma. I don’t want to put the burden of my past on her. I’m doing better than before, but I know there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“Now go get ready for the party,” he says. “Our guests will be arriving soon.”

“How did you get in touch with Emma’s friends, anyway?” I ask.

“They called Emma’s grandmother. Apparently, they had brunch scheduled, and they were worried when Emma didn’t show up. I spoke with them in the morning and assured them everything was okay. They were still concerned about her, so I invited them to dinner.”

I hear faint notes of music from downstairs.

“The orchestra must have arrived,” he says.

“You hired an orchestra?” I ask. “I thought it was going to be a low-key dinner party.”

“Please, you know me better than that.” He scoffs. “I don’t do anything low-key.”

“Splendid,” I deadpan.

“You always grumble, but you also have the best time at my parties,” he says.

I give him a look.