Chapter 205

“TAEHYUNG, I LOVE YOU!” Minnie’s voice rang out, bright and joyful and utterly sincere.

Emmeline laughed at her friend’s unbridled honesty, her own heart clenching with wistful longing. If only she had the courage to make such an open declaration to Zavian.

Instead, she settled for a sarcastic whoop of feigned exhilaration as the icy wind slapped her full in the face. “I LOVE...MYSELF!”

Richard gave her waist a reprimanding pinch, his tone one of long-suffering patience. “Your silence is golden, my dear wife. Do try to keep the nonsensical outbursts to a minimum, hmm?”

The sleds slowed to a stop at the bottom of the hill at last.

Emmeline leaped off, stumbling a few paces away as if she could scarcely believe they’d made it down in one piece. “Thank god that’s over,” she muttered, gulping in deep, cleansing breaths of the cold, crisp air.

She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the temporary escape from Richard’s presence. When she opened them