The Eighth Proposal He Buried in the Snow

The day I left the northern highlands, my father made me stand facing the snow-capped mountains and swear a binding vow.

For seven years, I was not to marry Jude Henson.

To keep that vow, I refused him.

Seven years. Seven proposals.

Every single time, I turned him down.

And every time I did, he only smiled and sighed, like a man with no choice left to him.

"It just means I haven't tried hard enough yet. I'll keep asking until you can marry me with an easy heart, Aisha."