The Secret Fiancée (The Windsors, #5)

by Catharina Maura

“Your turn, Lex. Are you single?” I hesitate for a moment, my conscience weighing heavy on me. I hadn’t expected to speak to her just yet, hadn’t planned to spin a web of lies. “There’s no one but you, Raya.”

somehow, your eyes keep me far more captivated than the starry skies above us ever could. I’m not sure I like how easily you’ve put me under your spell.”

you’re mine as much as I’m yours, and I do not share. You can hide our marriage as much as you want, but it doesn’t make it any less real.”

“Sometimes love isn’t loud and obvious, Raya. Sometimes it’s in the little things, hidden behind layers and layers of exterior protection. Love isn’t always communicated verbally, but that doesn’t make it any less real.”

Love isn’t always loud and obvious, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

“You are what I need,” I whisper. “Every second of every day.”

The love you give isn’t a precursor of the love you receive.”

it’s obvious that things aren’t easy, but real love never is, is it? It’s messy, and it’s ugly at times, but it’s always worth it.”

marriage is — you keep doing your best, you keep improving and growing together. There’s no end goal, you know? Marriage is all about the journey, the steps you take together to build a life unlike anything you could’ve had by yourself. That happiness you wish for her? It’s not a tangible thing. There won’t be one defining moment that you classify as happiness. It’s little moments, accumulated over time. It’s choosing each other, and knowing the person you chose to spend your life with will always fight for you, even when it’s tough, even when the odds aren’t in their favor. It’s doing all you can, giving her all you have, and accepting that it’s enough.