A wave of panic suddenly washed over Zane Patterson. He chose his words carefully, as if asking a question he was afraid to hear the answer to. "Are... are you going back...?"
'He regretted it as soon as he asked. What good would it do?'
'If she wanted to go back, he couldn't stop her. After all, Jett Westgate was Pippa's father. That fact alone stripped him of any right to stop her.'
"Annelise, if you want to go back, I understand. After all, Pippa is..."
"Zane, I'm not going back. I've thought about it, and I believe this news is fake."
"Fake?" Zane asked. "I don't think that's likely. Who would joke about something like this?"
Annelise explained her reasoning. "Knowing him, even if he were to marry someone else, it wouldn't be this sudden. The great families of Aethelgard place the utmost importance on protocol. There's a whole series of steps—engagements, official announcements, wedding ceremonies. There's no way they would just skip all that.
