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EMMA

I can’t believe that the fire was just yesterday.

It feels like I lived throughseveral lifetimes between yesterday and today.

All of the people I love are here. We had dinner a few hours ago, and it’s a little after midnight now. The kids are asleep in their beds. Most of the guests left, and it’s just the girls, Klaus, Alaric, and I in the sitting room now.

Everyone is drunk on wine. I have a sugar rush from the Nutella cheesecake we had for dessert.

Everything is warm and fuzzy and beautiful.

It’s the kind of night I wish would never end.

Gigi walks over to acovered piano and pulls aside the cover.

“It’s a shame to keep a Steinway covered,” she says, glancing at Alaric.

The smile freezes on his lips. “It was my mother’s.”

“Do you play?” she asks him.

“I haven’t played since she...” He takes a deep breath to compose himself.

“Play something for us now,” Gigi says.

Alaric’s face is pale. He tries to brush it off, but I can tell he’s caught off guard.

“Gigi’s a singer,” I say. “She’llsing along if you play something.”

Now, it’s Gigi’s turn to look flustered.

“Never mind. Let’s keep the pretty piano safe underneath the cover,” she says, zipping it back up.

Alaric stands. “I’ll do it.”

“Oh, you really don’t have to,” Gigi says.

He sits in front of the piano and takes a deep breath.

“What song do you want me to play?” he asks her.

She blinks. “I’m not used to singing in front of an audience.”

He raises his eyebrows.

I share a smile with Olivia and Ophelia. We all know that Gigi likes to sing, but I’ve never heard her voice before.

The two of them decide on the song ‘ Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis Presley.

A hush falls over the room as the notes of the piano float through the air. I feel the music caressing my skin. The song itself is simple, but it still gives me goosebumps.

And then Gigi starts to sing.

Her voice is soft, otherworldly. It wraps itself around my heart, making it ache a little.

Klaus’s arms tighten around mine. He drops his head to my shoulder and kisses my bare skin.

“Dance with me,” he says against my ear.

“Right now?” I whisper.

“Yes, right now,” he says, guiding me to the back of the room.

We stop in front of a moonlit window. He tugs me closer, holding me against his body. His big hand issplayed protectively over my back, and his chin comes to rest on top of my head.

We sway to the music. We’re both out of sync, but neither of us cares.

This moment is perfection.

I make eye contact with Gigi. She gives me a bright smile as she continues singing.

I look up at Klaus.

A rush of affection seizes hold of me.

We went through so much to get to this point. We had to fight demons, both within us and outside us, just to hold on to our love. Even when it felt hard, we chose each other.

We chose love.

When I hear the smatter of applause, it feels like coming out of a dream. Klaus and I join in, cheering for our talented friends.

“You sing like an angel,” Olivia says, squeezing Gigi in a big hug.

“Seriously, how are you so talented? I hate you,” Ophelia says, joining in on the hug.

Alaric goes to a corner of the room and lights a cigar.

“Is he okay?” I whisper.

“He will be,” Klaus says.

“Why is he acting strange?” I ask, noticing the wayAlaric’s hands are shaking.

“He loved someone once, and he never got over it,” Klaus tells me.

The doorbell rings.

I glance at the clock. It’s well past midnight. Maybeone of the guests left something behind in the house.

“I’ll get the door. Go check on your friend,” I say to Klaus.

Before I leave the room, I give Gigi a hug and squeeze her hand.

“You have what it takes to be a star, Gigi,” I say.

“You’re just saying that.” She waves me away. But she looks at me with big, hopeful eyes, like nobody ever told her they believed in her.

“I mean it,” I say. “You made every single person in the room feel something.”

“Thank you for saying that,” she whispers.

I’m smiling as I leave the room. Alaricdismissed his staff for the night, so there’s nobody else in the house. I walk to the entrance and swing the front door open.

A ghost stands on the other side.

Seraphina Sinclair tilts her head.

“Hello, Emma,” she says.