Chapter 10 - Happily Ever After
I stared at him, tears suddenly pricking the corners of my eyes. "You didn't."
"I did," Sebastian said softly, his playful demeanor softening into something profound and fiercely loving. "I want the world to know exactly who you are, Clara. Not the victim of a coward's lie. But a mother, a survivor, and the woman who owns my heart."
I pulled him down by his collar and kissed him, pouring all the gratitude, love, and passion I had into the space between us.
"Ew! Kissing!" Liam shouted, running into the kitchen with Maya trailing behind him.
We broke apart, laughing. Sebastian knelt down, scooping Liam and Maya into his arms, while I held Noah. We stood there in the sunlit kitchen, a chaotic, messy, perfect family.
For so long, I had let another person dictate my worth. I had allowed Julian to convince me that I was an empty vessel, a broken thing taking up space. But standing here, surrounded by the beautiful, thundering noise of my three children and the unshakeable love of a man who saw me as his equal, I knew the absolute truth.
I was never broken. I was just planted in toxic soil.
And now? Now, I was blooming.
"Alright, troops," Sebastian announced, hoisting Liam onto his shoulders. "Who wants pancakes?"
A chorus of cheers echoed through the penthouse.
I watched them march toward the dining table, my heart so full it felt like it might burst. The heavy ivory envelope that had started this whole chapter was long gone, burned to ashes and scattered to the wind.
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Julian Vance thought he had invited me to a funeral for my dignity.
Instead, he gave me the perfect stage to reclaim my life. And as I joined my husband and my children at the table, surrounded by laughter and warmth, I knew that this—this fierce, unstoppable love—was the greatest revenge of all.
