“Well, they were murdered, and quite horrendously at that. Assassinated they were, by enemy planes. The Tanghar they called themselves, those evils, they dropped fully loaded explosives right on the castles, not even sparing the children. Anyone who survived the bombs were captured and tortured, which is what happened to most of the Monclatzo family.”

My body felt numb and I tried to make my mouth work properly as I asked my next question, “And what about Alonzo, what happened to him?”

“Well, no one really knows for sure. He could’ve been killed in the bombings, but no remains were found, and he might have also been captured and has surely died by now.”

“When did this all happen?” I asked and she smiled at me, her cold demeanor softening into a warmer one.

“Don’t you read your history books at all, my dear? It happened just nearly twelve years ago, which would’ve made sir Alonzo just nine years of age at the time, poor dear…”

“Summer are you okay, you look pale?” My mother’s voice droned in and out of my ears and I felt the world around start to spin. I was vaguely aware of Zane’s brilliant blue eyes shoot me a concerned glance before my knees went out. Tumbling to the ground, I felt strong arms grab me around the waist and then, I blacked out.

***

“Summer, Summer…” I jerked awake, gasping and panting for breath. I was laying outside on a makeshift bed, Zane and I were alone.

“What happened?” I asked and Zane gently pulled me close into his warm, comforting embrace.

“We were learning about the Monclatzo massacre and you suddenly just lost it,” he whispered and I felt my stomach drop. Yes, that’s what we were learning about, but why would she lie? After all, she was lying…right?

Zane gave my forehead a kiss and pulled my chin up so that I was staring into his eyes.

“We’ll find out what happened, I promise we will, but you need prepare yourself for it, Summer. You can’t be fainting or getting ill, you’re the more important thing here.”

I felt as if I wanted to scream. I hated being the weakest link, the person who everyone needs to look after. In a calm and reserved voice I asked, “Can I see that surprise now?” Zane’s worried look lightened for a bit and I saw his adorable dimples appear.

“Of course you can,” he said and the next thing he did took my breath away. He bent down, as in down on one knee, a black velvet ring box in his hand. I felt all the oxygen left in me, leave my body and at first I thought I was going to faint.

“Summer Janine Charad, since the first moment I met you, I fell in love. I fell so in love that even just the prospect of someone else having you makes me sick, that whenever I have you in my arms, I have to pinch myself to believe it’s real. That when my lips meet yours, I think that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, and no one else I’d rather be with.” At this point, I had to start blinking rapidly to keep from crying, this isn’t happening

. Zane took a deep breath and opened the ring box up, exposing a gorgeous ring. For a moment, time seemed to stop, everything that had happened in the past year wasn’t present and the only two people alive were Zane and I.