“To the Alex who is reading this letter today, please know that if you can forgive me, I will never put anything before you again. As the only woman I’ve ever loved, as the woman to whom I have written countless unsent letters, as the woman who inspires and moves and challenges me like no other person on this earth, it’s the least I can offer. I may have just quit my job—because I couldn’t be proud of it, something your presence in my life demands me to confront—but I’m not a rash man. I will care for you and protect you, your heart above all else, and never again give you a reason to doubt my intentions.

“But I must say all of this in the knowledge that you may not feel the same, that your passion may not extend to the same depths as mine. I must take the risk that you took ten years ago, and say this as much for myself as for any potential of you. Let there be no miscommunication this time:

“I love you, I have always loved you, and I will love you for the rest of my life.

“Yours eternally,
“Danial”

He finished, lowering the paper slowly and sinking into his armchair. Alex looked across the room at him, silent, her heart racing and mind too stunned to form any kind of coherent response. Only after a moment did she notice the tears slipping down Paul’s face, the sadness and joy in his eyes. He nodded his head, bringing the letter to his chest and weeping. For a moment, he only rocked back and forth, cradling the letter in his hands.

“I know what you can do for me,” he finally said, his voice thick with emotion.

She nodded in his direction, wordless.

“I want you to go get my mom,” he said, smiling through his sobs. “I’m calling off the wedding.”

27. Lofou, Cyprus

27

LOFOU, CYPRUS

Now

A ray of sunlight snuck in from the not-quite-closed curtains, catching Alex’s half-opened eye as she turned in bed. She breathed in sharply at the unexpected intensity of it, her body stirring underneath her in a half-waking state. Turning to face the window, she saw Danial, undisturbed by the thin beam of golden light cutting across him. His hair was wild around his face, a day’s worth of stubble casting his jawline in a heavy shadow. Alex moved under the sheets, reaching for the watch he had placed on her bedside table the night before. It took her a moment to read the time in analog, the hour revealing they were already running late.