The Right Decision

*Isla*

Maddox went back to the dance.

I don’t blame him. I understand he needs to be there, and I understand a bit more why he didn’t tell me about Trinity, too. I have never lost someone like that before—someone I loved with all of my heart, a spouse, a mate, but I can imagine how painful it would be not only to have lost them, but to also blame myself for their death, and then to see them again.

I put myself in Maddox’s position. How would I feel if I had watched him die, thought it was probably my fault, and then saw him again in the face of his cousin?

It’s hard to say what a person would do in those circumstances, but it is easy for me to understand that it would be difficult.

For the next few weeks, I am hyperfocused on every movement Maddox makes. Which woman is he talking to? When is he talking to them? How does he approach them, and how do they approach him?

But he doesn’t disappoint men.

After the pomp and circumstance of the ball was over, and all of the families went home,