Chapter 20

Selene kindly offered Quentin a way out. Quentin thought he would feel relieved, but instead, the guilt in his heart only deepened. The night breeze helped clear his mind, and after taking a deep breath, he admitted, "Everything they said is true. If you don't like it, I'll give it back." As he spoke, he pulled out a photo from his pocket—the same one he had stubbornly refused to show earlier—and handed it to Selene. "I secretly kept this picture. I'm sorry. As for that bottled water… I can return that, too." The photo was the perfect size to fit in the card slot of a wallet. It looked old and worn from frequent handling. Every time Quentin had survived a dangerous situation, he would press the photo to his chest, treating it as a kind of lucky charm. Even though he knew her heart belonged to Charlie, he had buried his feelings deep inside for years. His coworkers' teasing had been humiliating, but it made him face his true feelings at last. Selene recognized the photo—it was one