Chapter 10 - The Real Beginning
One year later.
The sun was setting over the Amalfi Coast, casting a golden hue over the private terrace of the Vance estate in Italy.
I stood by the stone railing, holding a glass of sparkling water. I wore a simple silk slip dress, and my bare feet rested firmly on the warm stone.
There was no pain in my legs anymore. I was whole.
I looked down at the tablet resting on the patio table.
The headline on a New York gossip blog glowed in the twilight: FORMER ARCHITECT DEREK HALE SPOTTED WORKING AS BARTENDER IN QUEENS.
Another article below it read: SLOANE MERCER CUT OFF FROM FAMILY FORTUNE, SUED FOR CREDIT CARD FRAUD.
I smiled, locking the screen. I didn't care anymore. They were ghosts.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind.
Julian pressed a kiss to the bare skin of my shoulder. He smelled of sea salt and that intoxicating bergamot cologne.
"Reading the financial news, Mrs. Vance?" he teased, his hands resting on my stomach.
"Just checking the garbage disposal," I hummed, leaning back against his solid chest.
Julian turned me around in his arms. The ruthless billionaire who terrified New York looked at me with an utter, devastating softness that belonged only to me.
"Forget about them," Julian said, his eyes dropping to my lips. "We have a dinner reservation in Positano. And then... I intend to show my wife exactly how much I love her."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me.
"You already gave me my life back, Julian," I whispered.
"No, Elena," he smiled, capturing my lips. "You took it back yourself. I just gave you the crown."
We kissed under the Italian stars, two survivors of betrayal, ruling an empire we had built from the ashes.
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I had lost everything in that hospital room. But by dying, I had finally learned how to live.
And my life was perfect.
