The shock on Donovan’s face stuns me. “You think you don’t matter to me?”
I give a halfhearted shrug. “I don’t know anymore. I just know I want . . . I need more.”
“More?”
He sounds so hurt that I feel my own heart breaking. “Not financially,” I say, quickly. “Emotionally. I mean, I don’t even know if you want to get married anymore. We haven’t talked about it since we got engaged. And what about a family? We’ve never discussed that either and it’s because we both throw ourselves into work to avoid the real issues.”
“Which is?”
“That maybe you regret proposing to me.” I say the words softly, but the look on Donovan’s face leaves no doubt that he heard me.
I realize he’s stunned by my revelation, but it takes him much too long to find his words. And even then all he can manage is my name.
“Chloe . . .” he whispers. “Chloe . . . I . . .”
His arms rise and fall at his sides as he tries to figure out what to say, but he can’t. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve spoken the truth or if he’s trying to spare my feelings, but either way the damage is done. I suck in a breath as the tears begin to come.
At a loss, Donovan starts to skate toward me again, but I’m not ready. I know if he wraps his arms around me, I’ll fall to pieces and this conversation will be over. I’ll let my love for him squash my fears.
But I’ve come too far for that. I need answers. I need the truth.
I whip around and skate away from him. I just need a chance to breathe, to clear my head, to figure out what else I need to say.
All the thoughts that had been building up in me for so long flooded out so quickly that they haven’t truly registered yet. I can’t take them back and I don’t want to. But I just need space to gather my emotions. My mind is so full of everything else I want to say that I just barely hear the crack of shattering ice underneath my skates.
Donovan Dunn
More? She wants more from me?
What more can I give her?
She already owns my heart. I know it’s in shambles, but it’s hers, completely. She knows what I’ve been through and I . . . I guess I never thought she’d hold that against me or resent me for my fears.
How could she ever think I regret asking her to marry me?
For a second, all I can do is stand there stunned that the woman I love doubts me. But then a heart-splitting sound breaks through my inner turmoil as the ice begins to crack beneath the love of my life.
Fear, worse than any I’ve ever imagined, spears my heart like an arrow as I bellow her name. “Chloe!”
Every throbbing heartbeat that passes, the cracks spread further and further around her.
“Don’t move,” I yell, praying with every fiber of my being that what I’m seeing is just an illusion. This isn’t happening. Not again!
Chloe turns, her eyes locking with mine, just as her foot goes through the ice into the frigid water below.
“Donovan!” she shrieks, dropping to the ice and clinging on for dear life.
I'm rooted by the fear of losing her, of losing my soulmate, my best friend, my closest confidante. But the sound of Chloe’s frantic voice forces my heart to override my fears and my body takes over.
I hurtle across the ice toward her, not caring about my own safety. As long as I can get her away from danger, that’s all that matters. Nothing else. Not my job, my fortune, not even my own life compares to Chloe’s—the woman I love with all of my heart.
I skate as fast as my legs will allow, racing against time and the grim future trying to steal my only reason for living. But this time, I refuse to be defeated. I don’t even care if my reckless plan costs me my life. As long as I save hers—Chloe.
I just need to get to her.
Her name replaces the steady thump of my heartbeat as my lungs pump faster. I tear across the ice. When I’m finally close enough to grab her, I don’t stop. I grab her jacket, yanking her with me. I pull her to her feet as we race from the spot where the ice is cracking. It hisses and pops under our weight, but I still don’t stop. With one final shove I push her away from danger.
I follow close behind, only just barely making it away from the hole opening up beneath me. I don’t look back, not even as I hear shards of ice splashing into the frigid water. I can’t tear my eyes from Chloe.
She’s collapsed on the solid ground near the bank of the pond. I keep skating until I’m close enough to drop to my knees beside her.
“Chloe? Baby? Are you okay?” I shout, pulling her against me as my hands frantically search every inch of her shivering body.
I unzip my jacket and wrap it around her so that I can share my warmth with her. I rub her damp legs and look her over for any signs of injury. Thankfully, I see none, but I can’t seem to believe it.
Her teeth chatter savagely, both from the cold and from the adrenaline coursing through us. It’s possibly the only thing keeping my heart beating right now. I suck in a breath and ask again, panic gripping me. “Chloe, talk to me. Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head. “No, I-I'm fine, Donovan. I-I . . . I think my life just flashed before my eyes.”
I grab her face in my hands, gazing deeply at her. All of a sudden, my stubbornness in that discussion we’d been having feels so petty and meaningless. She is the only thing
