Late September

Heidi: I’m so sorry, Josie. Class is running late. Can you pick me up at the studio? We can go to that boutique you liked for the lights festival next month.

Josie: Sure. I’ll get Laz to drive me now. Question. Do you think your grandfather will ever stop sending me weekly apology flowers? I’ve been in Berlin for almost a year now. I’ve forgiven everyone.

And it was true. Josie had. She had forgiven her father. Forgiven her stepmother and the chancellor for even thinking of tricking her into being a part of any political platform. It had taken months, and she had forgiven but not forgotten. Josie had wanted to protect her sisters from the truth of their mother emailing her in hopes of getting her to help with the election. But Johanna said it was the right thing to do and when she told Heidi and Angelika the truth, she had earned Josie’s forgiveness.

Heidi was the one who took it personally. Angelika hadn’t understood but nodded as if she did. Heidi didn’t speak to her mother for a week, yelling that she had almost lost Josie as a sister because of her selfishness. Although her father had never asked her to, Josie had come over one day and had a heart to heart with Heidi, telling her that her mother had good intentions focused on wrong desires. She told Heidi that she should never stay angry with her mother for long because someday she might leave her the way Josie’s had. It was the talk her teenage sister needed to let go of her anger towards her mother. Johanna had thanked Josie for doing what she didn’t have to do.

Heidi: LOL. I don’t think he’ll stop until you actually have lunch with him and not a two-second hello like you have had. It’s up to you. Hey, was Vater lying when he said that you cancelled your trip back to Melbourne?

Josie started at Heidi’s message.

It was true.

She should have cancelled her trip the day after Max had broken up with her.

Instead, she had kept her itinerary untouched in hopes he would change his mind.

He hadn’t.

And when Josie had read his message months later, she cancelled her return to Australia. There was no point anymore. Nothing was waiting for her. Stella and West would be visiting in November and had just extended their trip so that they’d spend her twenty-fourth birthday with her.

Josie: Yeah. But we’ll talk more about that when I get to the studio. See you in a bit.

Josie got up from her seat to leave the café where she had sent in her final assignment for her law degree. Then Heidi sent her another message.

Heidi: I mentioned to Vick that you were coming to the studio … Josie, I think he likes you ;)

And that message caused her heart to drop.

“She’s a teenager,” Laz said as he parked the government car.

Sighing, Josie unbuckled her seat belt. “I know.”

“Of course, she wants her big sister to date her dance teacher.”

Josie’s heart sunk deep into her stomach. “Laz,” she said in a small voice.

Her friend and bodyguard turned in the driver’s seat to face her. “Yeah, Ms Faulkner?” As much as they were friends and she confided in him, Laz hadn’t shaken off her official title—much to her displeasure.

“I’m still in love with Max,” she confessed.

“I know you are.”

“I understand why he sent me that text,” Josie added. “I chose Berlin. And as long as I continue to choose Berlin, I won’t be with him.”

“So if I were to ask you why you’re choosing Berlin right now, you’d say …?”

Josie glanced down at the teardrop necklace Max had given her for her birthday last year. She promised herself that she’d take it off, but she couldn’t. Reaching up, she pressed her fingertips to the rose diamond and felt her heart pound in her chest. “I’m choosing Berlin right now because Max ended it and hasn’t called me or messaged me in eight months.”

Laz nodded. “And you want to let him go?”

“No,” she whispered as she reached over and grasped the door handle. “But maybe I should. He let me go. Maybe, to be fair to me, I have to break my heart, too.” Then Josie gave Laz a small smile and pulled on the handle, opening the car door. Once she slipped out of the car, Josie made her way up the steps and into the large studio. It was an old building converted into one of the largest private studios in Germany.

Josie walked down the long hallway until she reached the door at the end. She didn’t bother to knock as she pushed it open. When she stepped inside, she found Heidi’s ballet teacher by the barre, stretching. He glanced up and saw her from the mirror. He removed his leg from the barre and then spun around.

“Hello, Josie,” he greeted with a smile.

“Hi, Vicktor. Just here to pick up Heidi,” she informed.

He nodded. “She’s changing with some of the other girls. She shouldn’t be too long. You’re actually early.”

Josie glanced around to find several gym bags and water bottles around the studio. “I guess I am.”

“Heidi tells me you used to do ballet.” His grey eyes softened as he stepped towards her.

“I did. I don’t think I could do what Heidi does. She’s the talented Faulkner.”

“Your sister is going to go far,” he praised. “Josie …”

She lifted her chin up to look at him properly. She saw the hint of desire in his eyes. “Yes?”

“About the last time we met, I hope I didn’t come off as an asshole.”

To her surprise, she let out a soft laugh. “You weren’t, I promise.”

“Good.” He grinned. “Can I make it up to you? Can I take you out for a coffee some time?”

Josie parted her lips, not sure what would come out as her heart tore to shreds. Part of her knew that moving on meant dating. But her stubborn heart didn’t want that. Didn’t want another man’s touch or affections.

Just Max’s.

“Vick!” one of the girls shouted for his attention.

He let out a bothered sigh. Any other time, she would have thought it was cute. “I’ll be right back.”

Josie closed her mouth and nodded her head.

Her chest heaved.

Her heart burned.

Her head pounded.

She couldn’t.

Could she?

Josie took several steps back, desperate for fresh air. She quickly spun around and exited the practice room. When she stepped out in the hallway, she felt a sense of déjà vu from the last time she was at the studio and had met Vicktor for the very first time.

Only this time, it was different.

This time, her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and Josie wiped her tears away as she pulled it out. She let out a heavy exhale as she glanced at her screen.

This time was different.

This time, his name appeared on her screen.

Max.

Josie’s heart tightened in her chest as her breathing became almost impossible. She couldn’t believe it.

His name on her screen for the first time in eight months.

His picture filled her screen as her phone continued to ring.

It wasn’t fair.

He wasn’t fair to her.

Eight months.

It had been eight months since he broke her heart.

Eight lonely months.

Josie’s thumb hovered over the red decline button on the screen as she felt her heart beg for another outcome.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Press.