{This is a free story with paid bonus content}
Sequel to Riding South
Trapped inside Tenney House and at the mercy of his father, Camilla and South are forced to face their greatest fears in order to bring down the Gentleman's Network--an organizat...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Once he was asleep, breathing soft and slow, I studied each familiar line of South's face.
No, not South, I corrected myself. Jae. He wanted to be called Jae from now on. Jae Lee.
A small smile curved up my lips as I rubbed my thumb along the sapphire engagement ring. Thinking back on his words earlier this evening.
He wanted to give me the world and start something new together. And he wanted to do it not as South Tenney but as Jae.
Changing his name wouldn't erase the past, but it would let South start fresh and build his own legacy, one that reflected his Korean heritage instead of his father's elitist ideals.
I would never fully understand what it was like to be a child of two worlds. To speak Korean yet not exactly look Korean or have a Korean last name. Even though I could never understand his feelings, I wanted to support him in this journey of self-discovery.
He was beautiful and complicated. A nesting doll that showed something new each time he let me open one.
I let my gaze float from his perfect, beautiful face back to the engagement ring. I liked the way Camilla Lee sounded.
From now on, we were bound together. Falling through the sky, strapped to one another—in good times when the weather was clear, and the sun was shining, and in bad when the sky was dark, and the winds lashed at our faces.
A soft knock fell against the hospital room door.
"Come in!" I called as quietly as possible, trying not to wake my sleeping fiancé.
My sister slipped inside the room, and my grin widened. I'd never get tired of seeing her face, nor would I take one minute with Lydie for granted again.
"I just got off the phone with mom and dad," Lydie said, tiptoeing over to me. "I think mom's screech set a new world record for the loudest sound on earth. We should be hearing from Guinness any time now."
I let out an awkward laugh, pushing out of the hospital chair when my sister opened her arms for me—hugging me tightly, just like she used to.
"How are you holding up?" my sister asked, pressing a kiss into my hair. "How's your frogman doing?"
We both turned our attention to Jae when he snored.
"The doctors decided to keep him an extra night after that dizzy spell he had to make sure he was okay. I'm glad, honestly. It's for the best."
Lydie nodded, then released me from her arms. We settled into the leather armchairs beside the bed and talked for what felt like hours.
About Jae. About Rocky. About how Mr. McGilvary had turned states witness against Les in exchange for immunity. She'd been kept at the McGilvary's home in witness protection until Les could be charged to the full extent of his crimes. Which led to an awkward conversation about what happened between Lianna and I.
