Chapter 26 - The Anniversary Dinner
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Adrian and Claire celebrated their fifteenth wedding anniversary in a quiet, dimly lit Italian restaurant they had frequented in their early twenties, long before the chaos of the family business had nearly destroyed them.
They sat in a corner booth, sharing a bottle of expensive red wine.
"Fifteen years," Adrian mused, tracing the rim of his glass. "If you had told me a decade ago that we would be sitting here, happy, I wouldn't have believed you."
"We fought hard for this," Claire said, reaching across the table to hold his hand. "We earned every single quiet day."
"We did."
Adrian looked at her, admiring the faint laugh lines around her eyes, the relaxed slope of her shoulders. She was more beautiful to him now than she had been on their wedding day, forged in the fires of their shared survival.
"I got you something," Adrian said, pulling a small, flat box from his jacket pocket.
Claire opened it carefully. Inside lay a delicate silver necklace featuring a tiny, beautifully crafted charm of an open door.
"It's perfect," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes.
"An open door," Adrian explained softly. "Because you always have a choice. You can always leave. But you choose to stay."
May you like
Claire leaned across the table and kissed him deeply, oblivious to the other patrons in the restaurant.
"I choose you," she promised. "Every single day."
