Chapter 16 - The Proof of Innocence
Gabriel looked up at me,
his dark eyes searching my face for any hint of hesitation.
He found none.
“You don't owe me this,
Elena,
” he murmured,
his voice uncharacteristically vulnerable.
“I didn't do it for you,
” I replied gently.
“I did it for us.
”
Before he could answer,
the study door swung wide open.
Lucy burst into the room,
holding a handful of wild yellow wildflowers she had picked in the garden.
“Look,
Mama! Look what Gabriel helped me find!” she squealed happily.
Gabriel smiled,
the last remnants of his cold armor melting away completely.
He scooped Lucy up into his arms,
spinning her around as she giggled with pure delight.
I watched them,
a genuine smile finally touching my lips.
The ghosts of the past were laid to rest.
The fire that had destroyed our lives five years ago had finally burned itself out.
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