Heat and moisture clung to her skin, apanied by the sting of tiny bites and relentless sucking.


    Anneliese''s strength seemed to drainpletely under his unyielding persistence, leaving her simultaneously helpless and frustrated.


    Yet her difort only intensified. She ceased resisting, her body gradually softening and stilling against him.


    "I remember making a promise to you. Did you forget?"


    At those words, Jonathan finally eased his grip and nced down at her.


    "I was worried you might have forgotten. But as long as it''s still clear in your mind and you haven''t changed your stance..."


    Anneliese found herself at a loss for words. "I hit my head and had a concussion for two days, yet my memory''s intact."


    Of course she remembered. He had convinced her to agree to this less than forty- eight hours ago.


    And at the moment, he was repeating almost the same lines.


    The difference this time was that he had already met Nishay, unlike before, when he''d been concerned she would object and force them apart.


    Now, Nishay had voiced her disapproval inly, insisting he end things with Anneliese.


    Even if Anneliese were oblivious, the inconsistencies would not escape her notice.


    So he did know Nishay. He had been aware all along that she would oppose their rtionship.


    Tilting her head back, her gaze locked on him, Anneliese spoke in a quiet, unwavering tone.


    "You know my grandma. What''s the deal between you two?"


    Jonathan caught the usation beneath her calmness and knew evasion was futile.


    Even if he stayed silent, Nishay would eventually reveal the truth.


    During the flight back to Oceaton, he had already resolved to confess. But now, under her steady stare, his lips parted, and for the first time, nerves tangled in his throat.


    His Adam''s apple bobbed noticeably as he bent down, lifting her effortlessly and carrying her toward the dressing room.


    Anneliese frowned. "Where are you taking me?"


    He said nothing, setting her down before the ss disy where he stored his watches.


    His gaze dropped to the center of the cab, his voice husky and low.


    "The answers you seek are in those two boxes."


    Puzzled, Anneliese frowned.


    This was his watch collection, but he told her that the answers were hidden within it.


    She wondered if he was joking, yet


    his expression stayed serious, the et


    closet light unable to the


    tension in his jaw


    Following his gaze, she focused on the middle of the cab.


    Two velvet boxes rested there side by side-one ck, one red-distinctive and impossible to miss.


    Surrounding them were dozens of watches, each carefully ced in clear slots, visible at a nce.


    Only that central space contained the two closed boxes, quietly demanding attention.


    She had noticed them before but never given them much thought, never trespassing into his belongings.


    Now, staring at those boxes, she felt the weight of hidden significance. Her hand hesitated, unwilling to reach.


    Jonathan''s gentle smile met her eyes, quiet butforting.


    Drawing a steadying breath, Anneliese opened the cab and lifted both ornate boxes.


    "Which one first?" she asked, her nerves creeping back.


    He shook his head lightly. "You decide."


    cing the ck box on the ss surface, she picked up the red one.


    Her fingers traced the fabric absentmindedly before she bit her lip and opened it.


    She expected a watch or perhaps a piece of jewelry.


    Instead, a red hair tie appeared the kind made for young girls.


    It was handmade, red yarn crocheted into a frilled band, with three tiny lily-of-the- valley flowers dangling delicately.


    The yarn had faded with age, yet something about it stirred a sudden familiarity.


    This hair tie...


    Anneliese held it, eyes widening as nostalgia and surprise flooded her. Joy and confusion flickered across her face.


    "This hair tie... It''s mine! My mom made it for me by hand. There''s no other like it in the world!"


    When she was eight or nine, these crocheted hair ties had been all the rage in Baytree. Children and adults alike wore them.


    Almost every girl in her ss had one.


    Anneliese had been among the first, thanks to her adoptive mother, an elementary school teacher.


    When she saw a student wearing


    one, her mom secretly learned tone


    crochet from a neighbor and made them for Anneliese in secret.


    She remembered vividly how spotting her ssmate with a hair tie her own mother had crafted left her envious and a little crushed butter, after finishing her homework, a red hair tie slipped from her books into herp-a moment of surprise and delight she would never forget.