Chapter 10 - THE FINAL SURPRISEOne year later.
The penthouse was no longer quiet. It was filled with the sound of laughter—the sound I hadn't realized I was starving for.
Ethan and I stood on the terrace, watching Sophie play with a new set of toys in the now-open nursery. He took my hand, his thumb brushing against my ring finger. We weren't just a billionaire and a housekeeper. We were two broken people who had decided to stop letting the tragedy of the past dictate the silence of our future.
"I was so afraid to laugh again," Ethan whispered, his eyes on Sophie.
"She brought the noise back," I said, smiling at him.
May you like
"No," he corrected, looking at me. "You brought the life back."
He had finally let go of the memorial he had built for his grief, and in its place, we had built a home. As the sun set over Manhattan, casting a golden light on our new beginning, I realized that the greatest wealth isn't the billions in the bank; it’s the ability to find one more reason to wake up and smile tomorrow. The rubber duck sat on his desk, not as a symbol of a lost child, but as a reminder that even the smallest, silliest thing can break the darkest silence. We were home.
