Chapter 33 - The Anniversary
Ten years had passed since the terrifying night at the factory.
Diego and Marisol were celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary.
They decided not to host a massive, extravagant gala.
They did not want politicians or paparazzi.
They simply wanted their family.
They rented a beautiful, private villa on the coast of the ocean.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and purple.
Diego stood on the wooden deck, holding a glass of wine, listening to the crashing waves.
His hair was graying at the temples, but he looked healthier and happier than he ever had in his youth.
Marisol walked out, wearing a flowing white summer dress.
She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Happy anniversary, my love," Marisol smiled softly.
"Happy anniversary," Diego replied, turning to kiss her deeply. "Twenty years. It feels like a single heartbeat."
"We survived a lot of storms, Diego," Marisol said, looking out at the endless water.
"We did," Diego agreed. "But I would walk through the fire a thousand times over if it meant ending up right here with you."
Valentina walked out onto the deck, holding two plates of fresh seafood.
She was engaged now, wearing a beautiful diamond ring on her finger.
Her fiancé, a brilliant pediatric surgeon who volunteered at her foundation, was inside laughing with Marcus, who had become like a beloved uncle to the family.
"Dinner is ready, you two," Valentina laughed. "Stop being so romantic, you are making me look bad."
"Never," Diego smiled, putting his arm around his daughter.
They sat around the large wooden table, eating, laughing, and sharing stories.
There were no secrets at this table.
There were no hidden agendas or power struggles.
There was only absolute, unconditional love.
Diego looked at his wife and his daughter.
He thought about Ricardo, rotting in a cell, obsessed with legacy and control.
Ricardo had believed that family was a weakness that destroyed empires.
Diego smiled, raising his glass of wine to the starry sky.
May you like
Ricardo was wrong.
Family was the only empire worth building.
