Chapter 15 - The New Beginning
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Six months later, the grand opening of the Sterling Hotel in Midtown Manhattan was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest.
My firm was officially recognized as one of the top luxury design groups in the country, with contracts lined up across London, Paris, and Tokyo.
Ryan had eventually moved back to his parents' basement in Pennsylvania, working a low-level entry job, his corporate dreams shattered. Danielle gave birth to a baby girl, living in a small apartment subsidized by my parents, finally forced to grow up and take responsibility for her own life.
I maintained strict boundaries with Danielle, but I helped fund a college trust for my new niece. The baby was innocent, and she deserved a chance at a better life.
On a warm summer evening, Sebastian took me on a private helicopter ride over the Manhattan skyline, landing on a private estate in the Hamptons overlooking the glowing ocean.
We walked along the quiet, sandy beach, the waves gently lapping at our bare feet.
Sebastian stopped near the water's edge, pulling me into his arms under the light of the full moon.
"Two years ago, Victoria," Sebastian murmured softly, brushing a stray dark curl behind my ear, "I watched a brave woman drop an engagement ring onto a church pew and reclaim her destiny."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a velvet box. He opened it to reveal a breath-taking, custom six-carat sapphire ring surrounded by microscopic diamonds.
"I promised myself that night," Sebastian whispered, his voice trembling with rare emotion, "that if I was ever lucky enough to hold your heart, I would spend the rest of my life honoring it."
He looked into my eyes, his gray gaze fierce and pure. "Victoria Vance... will you marry me?"
Tears of pure, overwhelming joy spilled over my eyelashes.
I didn't hesitate. I didn't count to five. I didn't look back.
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"Yes, Sebastian," I whispered, throwing my arms around his neck. "A thousand times, yes."
He lifted me into the air, spinning me around as the ocean breeze wrapped around us, sealing a promise built not on illusion, but on real, unwavering love.
