Page 15 of True Hearts

I don’t necessarily regret doing what I did because Michael deserved it, but I do hate that I allowed my emotions to get the better of me.

“Yeah.” I chew on my bottom lip. I’m not sure what to make of this. “I think Graham is trying to cheer me up.”

“He’s sweet on you.”

“For now,” I admit. He had kissed me. A kiss that I can still feel lingering on my lips.

“For now?” Nat shifts on her feet to face me. I know she’s doing her lawyer thing and trying to assess me. I’m not mad about it. I could use some insight on myself right now. I’m all over the place. The life I convinced myself I needed doesn’t seem like a life at all now. Which sounds absolutely insane.

“Graham can buy anything. I’m sure this doesn’t mean much.”

“Maybe,” Nat agrees. “But let's have a look.” She drops to her knees, grabs one of the boxes, and starts to open it.

“And what's inside the boxes will change your mind about that?”

“Sure, it might have been a drop in the bucket, to him at least, but let’s see the thought he put into them. As someone who charges by the hour, I can attest to the value of time and the importance of putting real thought into it.”

Nat has a point, but she normally does. She’s been on me from the second I agreed to marry Michael. She was never a fan of his, but I always chalked it up to them not really knowing each other.

Michael could have his moments, but I think the man is rather good with charm when he needs to be. He can really turn it off and on. He was adept at reading me. That much was clear from the breakup and the blows he'd thrown my way. He’d known where to hit to make it hurt.

I drop down beside her, curious to see what Graham picked out for me. “I don’t want him to think I’m only into him for his money.”

“If he gets to know you, as he should if he’s in this for the long haul, he’ll know it’s not about that.”

“Then why was I marrying Michael? I didn’t love him,” I toss back at her, mad at myself for this whole mess.

“Because you don’t think anyone wants you. That you could ever belong or be good enough to be inthatworld. It wasn't about keeping up with the Joneses; it was about gaining their acceptance.” Well, shit. “Don’t be hard on yourself, Luna. I mean, I pushed through law school because of my mother. We all have our family issues, even when you think you don’t have a family.”

“You’re right.” There is no point in lying about it or trying to fool myself. “That’s why I sayfor nowwith Graham. He doesn’t know where I came from. Even if he did and was okay with it, what about the rest of his family?” Most of these wealthy families are cut from the same cloth. Especially the parents and their expectations.

Michael had pretended not to care about my upbringing or social status, but I think he thought having me beneath him was a good thing. It was a way to control me. He hadn’t been wrong either.

When I’d go to his events, he’d always find a reason to correct me or try to make me feel as though I should be grateful to be on his arm at all. It’s exactly why he’d gotten me knockoff merchandise. He hadn’t deemed me worthy of the real thing. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

"I don't know Graham, but I can't see my Dylan being friends with someone that would be so shallow."

"People are good at hiding things from others." I know that for myself. "Maybe I'm the shallow one."

“You’re not shallow.” Nat bumps her shoulder with mine. “You want security. There’s nothing wrong with that, Luna.”

Security, the word feels almost foreign to me. I do long for that. Who wouldn't want to have that? I know I have it with Nat and Frankie, but I also know they have their own lives.

I want to have my life intertwined with someone else’s. For that special someone to be my family and as much a part of me as I am to them. Unconditional love. One you can always count on and never question. Stability.

"Don’t you have this one?" Nat holds up the classic Chanel flap bag that is gold-tone with metal pink.

"Had,” I remind her. They are all now gone. I take the bag from her. The second my fingers touch the soft material, it’s so obvious what I had before was a fake.

One after another, Nat opens the boxes with me. Every single thing I burned is now here, but this time, they’re all real. Graham had taken note of everything. There isn’t one thing he missed. In fact, he only added more to the collection. He hadn’t only replaced them but gotten other items as well.

Tears sting at my eyes. “All right, I think he’s paying attention,” Nat says, taking it all in with me. We are surrounded by so many items.

“I pay attention to everything when it comes to you,” I hear Graham say. I stand up to turn and face him. “Had even when I thought you belonged to Michael, and I spotted you across a crowded room. When I walked into the bakery, it took me less than half a second to recognize you again.”

“Graham,” I whisper his name. This is all so much.

“Don’t be upset.” He clears the space between us. “I only want to make you happy.”

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