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Prologue

“You brought me all the way up here to my favorite place to distractthrough the trees

I grab her hand and link our fingers as alk along the steep, rocky path that runs the length of the waterfall “Is it working?”

She rin “You know it is, Valentine, and it isn’t fair”

My wife only callswitha rift Sometimes a mix of all

When we reach the small lookout at the top of the falls, I pull her close, squeezing her hand so she can’t walk away to stare at the water Her cheeks are flushed pink and dahtly parted as she catches her breath

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She sreen eyes I’ve been crazy about since I met her

“I just love you That’s why” I lean down and touchthe same breath

“I love you too”

We sit on a boulder covered in soft e and admire the view of the falls and clear water in the river below Autumn in New Hampshire is our favorite season, and this is our special place It’s the spot where we said “I love you” for the first time It’s where I asked her to nant with our daughter We’ve written songs here Made most of our life decisions here

A lone cloud drifts across the sky, di us in awhen over breakfast she blurted out words that nearly made me choke on my coffee Unfamiliar words like unhappy

And lonely

I told her I didn’t understand And I don’t I still don’t