Had she really written all those books about courage in love, only to fail the test in her own life?
“Because maybe Domi is right,” she whispered to the empty room. “Maybe happy endings have to be fought for.”
Emery stood, the book still clutched in her hands, a feeling stirring in her chest that she hadn't felt in weeks. Determination. Purpose.
She'd spent three weeks wallowing in misery, accepting Eveline's decree that they were finished. She'd let a lawyer's letter and a cardboard box be the final chapter of their story.
But that wasn't how Emerald Pearl's heroines would act. That wasn't the ending her readers would accept. And it wasn't the ending she wanted either.
She didn't know if Eveline would forgive her. She didn't know if the damage could be repaired. But she did know, with sudden clarity, that she couldn't live with herself if she didn't try.
“I'm not letting it end like this,” she said, closing the book with a decisive snap.
Whatever happened next, it wouldn't be because she'd given up without a fight. Because some endings were worth fighting for.
Chapter Thirty-One
Eveline was making coffee, the fresh smell of it filling the bookshop, when she heard the bell over the door ring. She looked up, expecting another disinterested browser, and instead felt her heart leap at the familiar figure shuffling through the entrance.
“Abe!” She hurried over, instinctively reaching out to steady him. “Should you be out? The doctor said—”
“The doctor says a great many things,” Abe interrupted, waving away her concern with a frail hand. “Most of which I've decided to ignore for my own sanity. If I have to spend all day in bed, then I might as well be dead.” Despite his bravado, his face was pale, the lines deeper than before, and he leaned heavily on his cane.
“At least sit down,” Eveline said, guiding him to his usual chair by the window. “I'll make tea.”
When she returned with the steaming mug, Abe was studying the shop with a critical eye. “Something's different,” he said.“And not in a good way.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why have you moved the romance all the way back to the depths of the shop?”
Eveline set the tea on the small table beside him. “We've had to make some adjustments. Sales have been… down.”
“That's not all I mean.” Abe's blue eyes, still sharp despite his illness, fixed on her face. “The heart's gone out of the place. And out of you.”
She turned away, busying herself with straightening books that didn't need straightening. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” His voice was gentle but firm. “Where's Emery?”
The name sent a jolt through her, it had every time she'd heard it over the past weeks. She'd managed to avoid this conversation when visiting Abe in the hospital, deflecting his questions with vague reassurances. But now, faced with his direct inquiry in the familiar surroundings of the shop, she didn’t have a choice. Unless she lied.
“She's gone,” Eveline said, her voice tight. “She won't be coming back.”
“Why?” Abe asked simply.
Eveline took a deep breath. “She lied to me. To us. All this time. She's… she's Emerald Pearl.”
“Hmm,” was all Abe said.
“You don't seem surprised,” Eveline said, frowning. Perhaps she should have lied. Perhaps this would have been easier on them both. She felt a pang of something. Understanding maybe.
“I suspected something of the sort.” Abe took a sip of his tea. “She was always scribbling away, and quite knowledgeable about publishing. But that hardly seems reason enough to banish her.”
“She was writing about me, too.” Eveline said, heat rising in her voice. “Did you know that? Emerald Pearl’s next book is set in a bookshop. The rumors are true. As Zara’s pointed out,they’re all over that damn book website she’s always on about. So Emery was using me for material without my knowledge or consent. Just like—”
“Like Charles,” Abe finished for her. “Yes, I see the parallel you're drawing. But is it accurate?”
Eveline crossed her arms. “She deceived me.”
“And that hurt you deeply,” Abe said. “But ask yourself this: was the deception in bad faith? Was it calculated to cause you pain? To exploit you?”
“It doesn't matter why she did it,” Eveline said. “She should have told me the truth.”
