Chapter 9 - A New FoundationSix months later, the legal proceedings against Vanessa concluded with a plea agreement that guaranteed a lengthy prison sentence for wire fraud, forgery, and financial exploitation. The high-society circles that had once fawned over her quickly distanced themselves, erasing her name from guest lists and charity boards as if she had never existed.
The Mercer home underwent a complete renovation, stripping away all the cold, minimalist decor that Vanessa had forced upon it, and returning it to the warm, welcoming sanctuary it had been when Eleanor was alive.
On a bright autumn afternoon, Adrian and I stood in the backyard, planting new hydrangea bushes along the fence line—the exact spot where our mothers had planted them decades ago.
"You know," Adrian said, wiping a smudge of dirt from his forehead as he stood up with a shovel in his hand, " отец would approve of this."
"Thomas loves having his garden back," I laughed, tying back my hair with a piece of twine. "He told me yesterday that the house finally smells like home instead of a high-end perfume counter."
Adrian smiled, but then his expression shifted into something more thoughtful. He set the shovel aside, walked over to the wooden bench beneath the old oak tree, and reached into his jacket pocket.
My heart skipped a beat as he pulled out a small, familiar cream-colored envelope—the exact same shade as the invitation from that fateful night, but this time, completely blank on the outside.
"What is that?" I asked, stepping closer.
Adrian opened the envelope and pulled out a handwritten note, but instead of handing it to me, he held it in his own hands and read it aloud, his voice steady and full of quiet emotion.
“No confusion this time. Please stay. Mom would want you here. So do I—not just for twenty minutes, but for the rest of our lives.”
May you like
I stared at him, my breath catching in my throat as tears of pure joy pricked at the corners of my eyes.
Adrian dropped to one knee on the autumn grass, looking up at me with absolute devotion in his eyes. "We spent thirty years growing up together, Maya. And through all the noise, the mistakes, and the storms, you were always the truth in my life. Will you marry me? For real this time—no performances, no cameras, just us."
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