He looks bewildered. Like he expected to waltz into the Colorado Club, sweep me off my feet, and take me home to Oregon. Like he thought I’d just been waiting for him to come and rescue me. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I try and block out the view from the bus. I don’t want Frank to exist in Colorado in my mind—not even the memory of him against the backdrop of pine trees. This place is freedom to me, and I don’t want anything changing that. “I’m sorry if that’s why you came here,” I say. “I sent back the ring because I should have never accepted it in the first place. I’m sorry if you interpreted that as me reaching out to you.”

He presses his lips together, like he’s trying to hold back from saying something. I’m not sure I want to hear it. It feels like a dark cloud has passed over the brilliant blue sky. A sense of dread gathers in my stomach.

“Did my mom say it was a good idea to come and visit?” I hold my breath, waiting for his response.

“When I told her you sent back the ring, she said it was your way of apologizing.”

I don’t think I’ve ever hated my mother more than I do in this moment. Looking back, it’s easy to see how she manipulated and controlled me and my sisters. I just feel like a fool for not seeing it. For not breaking free sooner. It only occurs to me now that she didn’t restrict her appalling behavior to her daughters. She’ll do anything to get what she wants. Frank didn’t deserve to be rejected by me a first time, let alone a second.

“I’m sorry she said that to you,” I say. “The fact is, my mom wanted us to get married because you’re rich. She saw you as a meal ticket.”

He nods, like I’m not telling him anything new.

We sit in silence for a few minutes. Guilt for accepting his proposal, for not confessing to him what he was to our family, circles my chest and squeezes.

The bus pulls into the stop in town and we get off in silence.

“Let’s go to the coffee shop.”

Frank looks up and down Main Street. “It’s small,” he says.

I glance up at the mountains, jutting into the perfectly still blue sky, and wonder what he’s talking about. Star Falls is huge. A place I can spread my wings. A place I can be me. This place is bigger than the entire state of Oregon.