Page 182 of False God

But there’s a growing crowd in the gardens—we were gone for longer than I’d realized—all of them here to celebrate this accomplishment with me.

The Kensington family, who flew all the way from New York to be here. Chloe and Theo drove up from London. Fig’s arrived, standingrightnext to Blythe, which makes me frown and decide to have a talk with him later. Gran is sitting at the metal table, sipping on tea as she talks to a beaming Elsie. My mom sent a card, which arrived two days ago.

And then there’s Lili, looking at the gardens, not noticing my attention has drifted to her.

Dark hair blowing wild around her flushed face as she rides alongside me, following the same path that my father and I often went on. Where he’d lecture about duty and reputation and respectability, preparing me for the role I’d inherit.

It all felt false after he died. Maybe before then too. Arbitrary and meaningless.

I continue to stare at Lili, and nothing about my life feels false.

“I was talking about you,” I tell her.

She glances my way, fighting with the wind for control of her hair. “What?”

“When I said ‘Beautiful,’ I was talking about you.”

Her smile expands when she realizes exactly what I’m talking about, her blue eyes as captivating as they were the first time I saw her. I’ll always consider her the most beautiful woman in the world.

But when I look at her now,beautifulis no longer the first word that comes to mind.

She looks like the one word I wrote on her once, back when I thought she never would be.

Mine.

THE END