“I heard you,” I say, and he just looks at me. “I heard you yesterday with your mother.”

“Good,” he says.

“I heard you tell her that you did it to keep me safe,” I say, and he nods his head.

“Yeah, I did after I told her that I married you for love, and she laughed at me,” he says. “You didn’t hear the whole conversation, Savannah.”

“It doesn’t matter that I love you or that you love me,” I say. “It’s just too much.”

“What is too much?” he asks.

“I stood in the room yesterday, looking around, and I felt like an imposter.” I wipe away my tears. “I didn’t belong there. I don’t even belong here.” I open my arms. “This town has shown me over and over again how I don’t belong nor am I wanted here.”

“But I want you here,” he says, taking a step toward me, but I hold up my hand to stop him.

“I stayed this whole time because I wanted to show the town I could be someone else. I stayed for my bar, which I don’t have anymore. It’s time for me to move on.”

“But what about me?” he asks, and if I was a strong enough person, I would ask him to come with me. If I thought for one minute I deserved his love, I would beg him to come.

“What about me?” I ask. “What about me walking out of my house without having people leer at me? What about going into the supermarket and hearing home wrecker at least once?” I let the tears fall. “What about being treated like I am the scum of the earth? What about that? I have a chance to walk away and start fresh.” I shake my head and sit down. “I have a chance to walk out of my house and look around and smile at my neighbors. I have the chance to just be the new person in town that doesn’t have so much baggage with her that I’m buried up to my knees. I have the chance to not be known as the town whore who forced Beau to marry her.”

“You leaving is letting them win,” he tells me. “You walking away shows them that they won.”

“Then let them have it,” I say. “They took everything else from me. Let them have that also.”

“Nothing I say is going to change your mind,” he tells me. “I can sit here and beg you to stay, but you are already gone.” His voice goes low. “I can beg and plead and tell you all the things, and in the end, your mind is already made up.”

“I just need to get away,” I say. “Maybe I just need to clear my head. Maybe …” I say. “I just know that I can’t sit here without wondering.”