Page 116 of Tangled Up In You

The third album intrigued her with the title. What had Caroline meant when she saidthis could have been us?

As she turned the pages, her pulse began to race. There were only four photos, one on each page with a caption written beneath.

The first photo was a strip of pictures taken at a photo booth. They were in their forties, but they were making faces like kids. The caption said:Life was funnier when we were together.

The second photo was taken at the wedding of Caroline and Charles Weatherly. Phoebe was standing right behind Caroline. She appeared to be her maid of honor. The caption said:I was always running away. I wish you would have stopped me.

Her heart pounded against her chest, as a thought crept into her head.

The third photo showed Phoebe and Caroline standing on the edge of a bluff overlooking the lake and the mountains, their arms thrown wide as if they could fly off that mountaintop. They were probably in their late teens. In fact, it might have been just before Caroline had moved away. The picture was captioned:You told me to be brave that day. I said I would be, but I wasn't. I didn't tell you how I felt. I couldn't admit it then or for a lifetime. I often wish I could go back to our mountain of dreams and have the courage to speak.

She suddenly knew where this was going, and the fourth photo confirmed it.

The two women were at a baptism, and this caption was even longer:We both could have had children. I was too afraid of what people would think. I was too afraid of what I thought. But like I told you when you came to see me yesterday, you were always in my heart, even if we weren't together. It's too late now, but I want you to have something special. Please don't send it back, Phoebe. I gave every other part of me away. But the diamond, the symbol of love, should be with you. I bought it with my money, and while I thought about giving it to Charles, because I was still pretending I loved him, I couldn't do it. He wasn't the one. The diamond was always meant for you. With all my love, Caroline.

Emotion put tears in Molly's eyes as the truth rang through her. Caroline had been in love with Phoebe. And it sounded like Phoebe had been in love with Caroline. But they'd lived their lives apart.

And the diamond… Caroline had given Phoebe the diamond.

Someone must have read the note that Caroline left in the album. Or they just knew that's where the diamond had gone.

But where the hell was it?

It definitely wasn't in the boxes. But Caroline had said she was sending it to Phoebe. It might have come separately before Phoebe died.

She desperately hoped that was the case because Phoebe had probably never seen this album. She'd never read these words. She took some small comfort in the fact that Caroline had said she'd talked to Phoebe and told her some of it, at least.

Getting up, she paced around the room, wondering where the diamond could be. And then her gaze lit on the plastic bag that had come along with the urn. She moved across the room to take another look in it.

The dress and shoes Phoebe had been wearing when she died were in the bag as well as a bra and underwear, Phoebe's watch, and a necklace with a small gold heart. She pulled out the items, her heart breaking as she smelled Phoebe's perfume. As she laid the dress over the back of the chair, something fell out of a pocket. Her jaw dropped in shock at the stunning square-cut diamond ring.

Phoebe had not only seen the ring, she'd gotten it. She'd known that Caroline loved her.

It was sad to think they were now both dead.

Her door suddenly burst open, and she whirled around in surprise.

Her mother was pushed into the room by a man standing behind her, a man with a gun—Ethan Mercer.

"I'm sorry," her mother babbled. "He said he was your friend."

The man shoved her mother toward the wall, as he pointed the gun at Molly. "I knew you had it. Hand it over."

She swallowed hard.How could she give the ring away? It was meant for Phoebe.

But Phoebe was dead, and if she didn't do what he asked, she might end up in the same condition.

"Diamond or her," the man said, pointing his gun toward her mother. "Don't believe me?"

"No. I believe you," she said quickly. "Don't hurt her. You can have the diamond, but first, tell me who you're working for. Is it Charles Weatherly?"

"What do you care?"

She licked her lips. "I want to know who's getting this ring."

"Someone who deserves it." He put out his hand. "Give it to me."

As he spoke, she thought she saw a shadow behind him. Impulsively and probably stupidly, she tossed the ring in the air. As Ethan reached up to grab it, Adam barreled through the door and slammed into him, knocking him to the floor. Her mom let out a scream as the gun skidded across the floor.

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