I walked toward the ceremony space.
Guests were already taking their seats.
I recognized almost no one.
That hurt more than I expected.
Adrian had built an entire life around whatever he had done, and somehow I had been removed from it completely.
Then I saw Julian.
He was standing near the back row.
For a moment, relief washed all over me.
Julian could explain this.
I crossed the room quickly.
“Julian.”
He turned.
The color drained from his face.
That was all the answer I needed.
“You knew.”
His eyes shifted toward the hallway.
“Meredith, please. This isn’t the place to do…”
“You knew he was alive.”
“Keep your voice down.”
I laughed once.
It sounded ugly.
“I stood beside your family at his funeral.”
Julian rubbed his forehead.
“Please. Let me explain after the ceremony.”
“The ceremony?”
He lowered his voice until it was barely audible.
“It’s complicated.”
