The water was so cold it stole my breath, but I stood up slowly, dripping onto the stone, and looked at the faces ringed around the fountain. Some guests were still clapping. Olivia pressed a hand to her mouth, hiding a smile. My father folded his arms like a man who had just won an argument. I wiped my face and said quietly, ‘Don’t forget this moment.’

Then a low, steady rumble rolled across the hotel’s front drive. Heads turned. Three black SUVs swept under the entrance canopy, and a man stepped out of the middle one with a phone pressed to his ear. Ethan. He didn’t look at the crowd. He looked at me, soaked and shivering, and every trace of calm left his face. Then he glanced at my father’s hands, and I realized he had seen everything.