“God, this is so messed up.” He throws his head back, and I can’t tear my gaze away from his corded neck muscles. “Every time I think about you, I think of the girl who used to write me emails or even the scowling teenager who pressed the pen too hard on the paper while signing the marriage certificate. But you—”

“I’m no longer a kid.”

“Believe me, I know,” he says. “We need to end this. You’ve been tied to this nonsense for far too long. You need to live your life.”

“What about you? You’re saying that as if I’m the only miserable one.”

“I was thirty when we signed the marriage certificate, Autumn. I was living a life I’d made for myself. But you…” He groans once more. “They threw this all on you before you were even out of school, and then you were forced to marry me. I can’t help but feel I’m partly at fault here. I should have fought harder. I should have pushed them more.” He stares at me and says, “We’ll file for a divorce soon.”

10. Lukas

10

LUKAS

As soon as the words leave my mouth, there’s a knock on the door. Autumn gets up from her side of the bed as the door opens and Jasper walks in.

He looks around the room, and his lips purse into a thin line. “Your mom knew nothing about this, tums. Grandma called Emma directly and asked to get a honeymoon suite ready for our special guest.”

“At least the presentation is flawless.”

I chuckle, not knowing what else to do at Autumn’s response.

A small grin makes an appearance on Jasper’s face before he takes a seat on the couch facing me. “How are you?”

“I’m okay. But this”—I motion toward the room—“this needs to be fixed, Jasper. We can’t wait any longer to file for a divorce.”

He’s quiet for a second before he asks carefully, “Have you guys thought about it? Is…divorce the only way?”

“Dad!” Autumn says. “That’s how it was always supposed to be.”

“But I thought—” He swallows. “You’re twenty-two now, and you guys were in touch the whole time…”

Hearing Jasper’s words, my pulse trips. What did he think would happen?

Now that Autumn is twenty-two, suddenly this becomes right?

“Our age—Autumn’s age—doesn’t change anything,” I tell him.

She jerks her head in a nod, clearly on board with my thoughts.