A Year Later.

Lyse raised the baby up in the sky, laughing at his loud happy shrieks. The sunlight filtered through the leaves of the old oak tree, dappling her son’s face. She brought him back to her chest and nuzzled into his neck, inhaling that sweet, milky baby scent.

"Mama loves you, my little Theo," she whispered, kissing the soft skin behind his ear.

A shadow fell over them. She looked up to find Levi standing there, a soft smile on his face. He’d been watching them from the porch, a mug of coffee in his hand. He looked different now. Softer. The hard edges had been smoothed away by a year of peace. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"He’s got your lungs," Levi said, reaching out to tickle Theo’s chin. The baby gurgled and grabbed at his father’s finger with surprising strength.

"And your stubbornness," Lyse retorted, but her smile was warm. "He refused to nap for over an hour today."

"Can’t imagine where he gets that," Levi chuckled, settling on the blanket beside them. He wrapped an arm around Lyse’s shoulders, pulling her close. They sat in comfortable silence, watching the clouds drift by.

It was strange, Lyse thought, how much their lives had changed. The Welhaven mansion was sold. The money, The Welhaven legacy, was donated to various charities and foundations, quietly, without fanfare.

Levi had left the shareholders and his younger sister in charge of the Van Doren Businesses.

They had bought this small farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, a place with a long gravel driveway and no close neighbors. A place where they could be invisible.

The name Brandon Marlowe had faded from the headlines, replaced by newer scandals and newer tragedies. The official investigation had concluded. It was ruled a tragic murder-suicide, a story fueled by jealousy and financial ruin. The details were murky, but the public had moved on.

It became just another cautionary tale of wealth and excess.

Levi had buried the truth about the whole sordid affair.

He had gotten a mysterious package a couple of months after the incident at the hospital. Reports and results that confirmed what the terrified paparazzo had blurted out in the chaos of the fire alarm. But he hadn’t shared that information with the police. He’d let the official narrative stand. Let the world believe Brandon Marlowe an unhingd villain. It was simpler that way. Cleaner.

For Sutton, for Bret, for Honey, and for them.

All it would take was the press getting a whiff of Brandon’s other activicties for them to come sniffing around.

Their peace was a hard fought for priviledge and Levi was ready to protect it jealously.

"Are you happy?" Levi’s voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

Lyse leaned her head against his shoulder. She looked at their beautiful son, now dozing in her arms. She looked at the fields stretching out before them, golden in the late afternoon sun.

She thought of the cameras, the shouting, the constant, gnawing fear that had been her life for so long. The freedom she felt right then.

"Yes," she said, and it was the truest thing she had ever said. "I am."

She turned and looked at him.

"What about you?" she asked. "How does life outside the boardroom feel? Do you miss it?"

Levi considered her question, his gaze distant for a moment. He thought of the power plays, the billion-dollar deals, the constant thrill of the hunt. Then he looked down at Theo’s tiny, perfect fingers wrapped around his thumb.

"It feels," he said slowly, "like I was wearing shoes three sizes too small my entire life and I just took them off." A genuine, unguarded smile spread across his face. "I don’t miss it at all and I would not trade this for anything in the world."

Lyse reached up and traced the line of his jaw. "Good."

They stayed there until the sun began to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. The world was quiet, save for the chirping of crickets and the gentle breathing of their son.

As the first star appeared in the twilight, Levi squeezed her shoulder. "We should get him inside."

Lyse nodded, carefully shifting Theo in her arms. They walked back to the house, their footsteps soft on the grass.

Inside, the kitchen was warm and smelled of garlic and herbs. Lyse had left a pot of soup simmering on the stove. She laid Theo down in his bassinet, his little chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

Levi came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Have you spoken to Ken today?" he asked.

Lyse shook her head. "Not since yesterday. He said he and Bella are settling in, They have the exibition for my clothes ready."

"He’s a good father."

"Indeed," Lyse agreed, turning in his arms to face him. "Not as good as you though."

"Never." Levi said with a mock frown.

Ken and Bella had handled the sale of the mansion, dealt with the lawyers, and arranged their escape from the city without a single trace. They were the only people from their old life who knew exactly where they were.

"They deserve a visit," Levi said. "We could drive up next month. See the gallery."

"I’d like that," Lyse said, a small smile touching her lips.

Later that night, after they’d eaten and the house was dark and still, Lyse lay in bed listening to Levi’s breathing. She felt a profound sense of peace settle over her. The nightmares had stopped. The constant feeling of being watched had faded. They were safe. They were free.

She thought of Brandon, the boy he used to be.

She thought about the family she had been raised with, the one that had lied to her in order to leech off her.

She thought about her mother and imagined how happy she would have been to meet her grandson.

"I bet you are smiling at us from above." She thought wistfully.