Jaya looked back up toward the mountain and took a shuddering breath. “Thank you. I’ll need it.”

Jaya wound her way up to the mountaintop, puffing lightly. Her parka was warm, but the wind was still tugging at her hair and slapping her in the face, bringing tears to her eyes. Her heart pounded at the thought of coming face-to-face with Grey in just a few minutes. She was still completely gobsmacked about what Isha, Caterina, and Daph had done, and even more so that Grey had agreed to meet with her one last time. Jaya knew this was Caterina’s way of making up for what Alaric had done with the information she’d given him, and in spite of herself, in spite of how bossy and invasive this was, Jaya was grateful.

She had no grand expectation that she would be able to get Grey to believe she’d never meant to hurt him, that she hadn’t been playing games with him the whole time. When he’d flung all those accusations at her, she’d made no attempt to refute them. If anything, she’d wanted him to believe it so he could move on. Now all she hoped for was that he’d listen to her with an open mind. That he’d see she really had fallen for him. That the engagement hadn’t been preplanned, and that there was a very good reason why she had to go through with it. And maybe, just maybe, he’d let her sit with him while he waited for the sun to come up. All Jaya wanted was to be there for him when the sun rose, so he didn’t have to be alone. If she could do all that, she’d get engaged to Kiran with a modicum of peace.

She emerged onto the mountaintop and looked around among the boulders and rocks, her pulse thundering in her ears. At first she thought he’d decided not to come after all, and her heart sank. But then she saw him, unfolding himself slowly from where he’d been sitting against a giant boulder that was topped with snow. His red jacket, too, was covered.

“Hi,” she said, walking up to him. Beyond them, the town of St. Rosetta looked like one of those little idyllic winter villages you could buy in department stores around the holidays.

He regarded her with expressionless blue eyes, so reminiscent of when they’d first met. Jaya felt a deep ache in her bones, knowing that she’d done this to him. She’d sent him back to how he used to be.

“DE said you wanted to speak to me,” he said, as if he were reading a grocery list.

“Yes.” Jaya brushed a few snowflakes from her hair. “Thank you for meeting me.”

He didn’t say anything.

“How are you, Grey?” she said, searching his eyes. “It’s almost sunrise. I was thinking about you.”