‘You make it sound as if my world is small,’ she said, pulling out of his arms and getting to her feet. ‘And it’s not. It is full of friendship and family, and community. Hawke’s Cove is special. It’s a beautiful place full of amazing people. It’s a home, it’s my home and Henry Hawkesbury, if you can’t see that then I feel sorry for you!’

With that, Lily stalked from the room, wiping the tears falling once again, and slammed the door of the suite behind her. Because … she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right. She hadn’t lied, she’d meant what she said about her world. She loved it. But neither did that make him wrong. There was a world out there and she had hidden from it. Because … because … she didn’t want to lose anyone else. She’d lost enough.

It was taking Lily ages to get to sleep. She tossed and turned and spun in the sheets of the unfamiliar room, the words of their argument going round and round in her head. The fiery burn of anger and self-recrimination heating her to the point where she had to throw off the sheets. She’d seen that Henry had only been trying to help. And somewhere mixed in with all the hurt was the fact that he’d said she was incredible. That he’d painted a picture of her that she’d not really seen in herself.

But if he thought she was so incredible, why didn’t he want her? Why didn’t he kiss her the way she’d wanted him to? And why was she waiting for him to kiss her?

She growled out loud in the dark room. Her thoughts a confusing, jumbled mess. He’d helped her, saved her even, but then he’d hurt her. Or had she in reality been hurting herself all this time?

Get a grip, Lily.

She had two days before the wedding. The hen party …

Oh God.

This time she groaned and grabbed a pillow and pressed her face into it. What was she going to do?

By the time she extricated herself from the pillow and the sheets, she realized that it was no longer her making a noise, but something else. It started like a moan of pain, of anguish, and crescendo’d into a shout. First one, then another.

Lily launched out of bed and into the hallway. It was coming from Henry’s room and panic hit her thick and fast. She gently knocked on the door, despite the urge to slam her fist against it, but there was no response. When another cry cut through the silence of the estate, she pushed open the door and stepped into the room.