I twisted the new engagement ring on my finger, the weight of it still foreign. Sunlight caught the diamond as I sat across from Samantha at our favorite café, the same one where I'd broken down in tears eight years ago when my world had shattered.

"You're actually doing this." Sam's voice wasn't a question. She stirred her latte, eyes fixed on my hand. "After everything."

My stomach twisted. Since Michael's proposal yesterday, I'd been riding a wave of certainty. Now, sitting across from the woman who'd sheltered me at my lowest, doubt crept in like a cold draft.

"I know what you're thinking," I said.

"Do you?" She set...