I believe he meant well, even if he didn’t do well. I forgive Anwar.

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He could have handled this situation a dozen different ways. Anwar’s actions revealed who he really is.

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Today I find a way to be the nurturing Empress. If not for Anwar, then certainly for myself, because holding on to a grudge would be like swallowing a sword. However, I must still remember to carry this lesson like a blade across my back.

Whatever damage Anwar caused, I’ll prove capable of mending it on my own, alongside the people I love most. I don’t need Anwar to feel whole—I never did. So I certainly don’t need an apology from him to move on. Maybe next time I’ll trust a little less easily, but I will not allow Anwar to rob me of my ability to trust in the first place.

After all, now that I’ve had a taste, I know there will be others interested in me like Anwar. Better ones. And I owe it to these future loves to be the complete Amelia package.

Especially because one of those people walk beside me right now. And no matter what the cards hold for us, they deserve all of my best energy.

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If today is all about the Queen of Swords, then I must embrace the reality that if you betray a queen, you get the chop. Today I must become a more demanding Empress, because I deserve honesty and integrity. Who knows, if Anwar had been up-front with me from the start, maybe I’d even have found a way to help him?

Still, I have to remember what enabled Anwar to deceive me in the first place: my own blinding belief that someone like him couldn’t be interested in me. I was so focused on my own insecurities, it never occurred to me to look for Anwar’s.

He might not be worthy of my forgiveness, but I will strive to remember what he and Rosa taught me: everyone has broken parts they hide. The only way to mend these parts, however, is to make them known. If nothing else, these two placed me on the path to learning this invaluable lesson.

Then I think: Hell no. I placed myself on that path.

And I plan to keep climbing until I reach the very top.

Especially because I owe some honesty of my own to the incredible person waking beside me.

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“Pentacle for your thoughts?” Cleo asks, breaking our silence.

We’ve been hiking so long, I obviously got lost in the loop of my thoughts. Chase and Logan have fallen behind, probably also taking this time to sort themselves out. That spirit seems to be in the air up here.

“You can always hear all my thoughts, Cleo,” I answer, smiling over at them. “And I’ve done a lot of thinking.”