#Chapter 73: Unlikely Friends

I have no idea what to do about Samuel. Knowing that he still loves me does give me hope and happiness, but on the other hand, he remains unobtainable while he is mated to Leah and I am in the King’s harem. I do find peace in knowing that our past is restored at the very least. Samuel hadn’t given away the necklace that had been intended for me, and now it’s back in my own possession. I can’t wear it, of course, so I tuck it away in the pocket of a dress in the very back of my closet. There, I reason, it will be safely hidden. “I think you should get rid of it,” Bethany says, but I shake my head. It’s not just a symbol of Samuel and my secret affections for each other, it also represents our shared past and a happiness that I once felt before my disgrace. “Maybe someday I won’t need to look back on it,” I say, “But not yet.” Besides, it’s not like I could give it back to Samuel. If Leah found it, she would make his life miserable and likely destroy it. No, better that it