Married By Chance, Loved By Choice
me in her sunlit D.C. study, a stack of gloss
irm but kind, "it's time you settled do
aken the liberty of curating a list. Su
moment it all wen
over me, the memor
that ended in a dark al
rling, her face a mask of indiffere
hed, and Daddy insisted," she' d said,
of her living in Napa "for her
r secret remarriage to Mark Jenkins,
adlights of a car driven by Mark's son from
ct, the
w, I w
ct day, this exa
ond c
rtfolios, a wave o
voice hoarse, "I appre
't choose
perfectly scu
ntinued, a strange calm settling ove
bewildered. "Alex, marr
a bitter smile touching my lips.
d, her staff quickly p
I reached in, my fing
slip. "Captai
unconventional choice, Alex. Medic
I said. "Let'
w. "Captain
began t
insisted, a strange
t different, almos
lowly. "Captain
ed the room, t
Captain Ramirez is a hero, undoubtedly, but she's a recluse now. That inj
per. Maya "Ghost" Ramirez. A d
d, my voice surprisingly steady
Alex. It' s a career-ending, life-altering disability
I said, remembering my parents, t
strength isn't avoiding scars,
mirez b
nelt by her chair, taking her hand. "This is about choosing someone of
omised your mother, Alex. I promised I'd see you happy, truly
lanket. She' d taken me in, an orp
cold dismissal, solidified my resolve
"And I believe this is th
hed, a small, reluctant sound of concession.
r stated, her usual decisiveness returning