“Should I call someone to come help us?”
“Not yet.”
I walked toward the ceremony space.
Guests were already taking their seats.
I recognized almost no one.
That hurt more than I expected.
Adrian had built an entire life around whatever he had done, and somehow I had been removed from it completely.
Then I saw Julian.
He was standing near the back row.
For a moment, relief washed all over me.
Julian could explain this.
I crossed the room quickly.
“Julian.”
He turned.
The color drained from his face.
That was all the answer I needed.
“You knew.”
His eyes shifted toward the hallway.
“Meredith, please. This isn’t the place to do…”
“You knew he was alive.”
“Keep your voice down.”
I laughed once.
It sounded ugly.
“I stood beside your family at his funeral.”
