Epilogue
“So you’re married to six men?”
“Five. Six would be far too much,” I chuckle, and Emma returns it. I’ve come to think of her as a somewhat friend for the last three years, and I know that I can tell her anything since Claire and she are actual friends in real life.
“And Lorenzo? The man who raped you, he’s dead?”
“Mmhmm,” I nod. “And Tracey.”
“Sounds like an eventful week. How do you feel?”
I think for a moment before answering, spinning the diamond ring on my finger, then finally look at her.
“Relieved, like I can finally move on and be happy. I’m not delusional enough to think that I’ll always be okay.
I’ll still have nightmares and setbacks, but I know deep down I’ll always have my five husbands to be there for me when things get tough. ”
She studies me for a moment, as if she’s seeing me properly for the first time, and maybe she is.
I feel like a weight’s been lifted from me since they died.
Shadows that can no longer chase the new me.
“You sound certain of this new life you’ve built for yourself,” she says, “It’s refreshing.
When I met you, you were mute. You thought silence was safer than being loud, and now you’re sitting here, smiling, and your eyes… they look lighter. Full of life.”
“I am.” And I am. It’s strange, hearing the words out loud and realizing they’re true. “They’ve seen every version of me,” I continue. “The broken parts, the violent parts, the ones that still wake up screaming, and they stay. Every time.”
“So what now?” Emma asks, a smile on her face.
“Now… we go on our honeymoon. Crew was adamant about going to the Maldives, but I think Oscar strong-armed him into going to somewhere in Greece. Archer, Elijah, and Roman are just excited to get away somewhere warm.”
“Sounds like it’ll be eventful. How is Roman coping with the death of Lorenzo?”
“Honestly? About the same way I feel about Tracey being gone. He’s arranged to take over his father’s contracts, something he never wanted to do, but now that it’s there, he wants to do more with it. Build an empire of his own, with the other family’s backing.”
We sit in silence for a moment, letting it stretch between us. “You look happier, Lottie.” Emma finally says.
“I am.”
“I can’t believe you got married without telling us—and now you’re off to Greece!” Angel whines dramatically over the video call.
Zara, sitting beside her, rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe she’s insane enough to marry five men.”
I shrug. “What can I say? They make me happy. Plus, I was technically kidnapped and all that, so it’s not like I had time to send out invites.”
“Still.” Angel’s bottom lip wobbles in exaggerated heartbreak. “I was supposed to be your super-hot maid of honor.”
I laugh. “You’re one of my super-hot best friends. That counts for something, right?”
“Fine,” she sighs, dramatically defeated. “Anyway, go have fun. I’ve got a date with a certain Mr. Stalker tonight.”
“Pacheco?” I wince, already pitying him. “Poor guy has no idea what he’s in for.”
“The one and only,” she grins. “He’s taking me somewhere fancy.”
“Well, I’ll pray for him—and I’ll bring you both back a souvenir. But we’ve gotta go. Love you guys.”
“Love you, bitch!” Angel blows me a kiss.
“Love you!” Zara waves.
The plane lands just as the day begins.
Roman steps off first, sunglasses in place, that quiet protectiveness radiating from him even here.
Crew’s already joking about who gets the biggest room, and Oscar’s halfway through signing a story that has Elijah rolling his eyes.
Archer lingers by me, one hand at the small of my back, steadying me.
For the first time in what feels like forever, I let myself breathe.
The villa sits high above the water, whitewashed stone and blue shutters, sunlight spilling through every open window.
Inside, everything smells like citrus and clean linen.
Crew drops the bags in a pile and flops onto the couch.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be pretending I’ve never seen blood in my life. ”
Oscar lets out a breathless laugh, tugging me toward the balcony. “Come on, Wife. You should see this view.”
The others drift inside, voices blending into easy conversation. I follow Oscar out, and the sight steals my breath—endless blue, the sea moving like silk beneath the sinking sun.
He looks at me, softer than I’ve ever seen him. “It suits you. This peace.”
I rest my head against his shoulder. “It doesn’t feel borrowed anymore,” I sign back.
Behind us, Roman opens a bottle of alcohol-free champagne, Elijah’s laughter carries through the doorway, and Crew starts arguing with Archer over who gets to cook dinner first.
For once, there’s no urgency. No ghosts waiting in the corners. Just the sound of the sea and the warmth of the people I love.
Home, finally, doesn’t feel like a place. It feels like this… like them.
“Shall we make this marriage official?” Oscar’s hands move, eyeing me. “Shall I get your other husbands to come to the bedroom and make you ours… all of ours.”
A thrill runs through me at the idea of finally being with all of them at once, and I nod.
“Then go put on what I left on the bed for you. You’d better be ready for us, wife.”
“Are you ready for us, wife?”
The question echoes, a low murmur from Archer against my neck, but it’s Oscar’s clever fingers that make me gasp, dragging the lace of my new panties aside to find me already wet and wanting. I can only nod, my breath catching as his thumb circles my clit with a precision that makes my knees weak.
This. This is how it was always meant to be.
Roman’s large, calloused hands slide up my bare thighs, a stark, thrilling contrast to the delicate silk of the black negligee Oscar laid out for me.
Elijah’s mouth follows the path of one strap, teeth grazing my shoulder before his tongue soothes the sting.
Crew watches from the foot of the king-sized bed, his eyes dark and hungry, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.
Archer and Oscar box me in from each side…
Oscar’s lips on my neck, his hardness pressed against the small of my back, his signing hand now splayed possessively across my stomach.
Now, Archer’s fingers are inside me, and I'm melting against Oscar’s chest. One finger, then two, curling and stroking a spot that makes stars burst behind my eyelids.
I cry out, a soundless, breathy shape of pleasure.
I am surrounded.
I am claimed.
And I have never felt freer.
the end…