Epilogue
EPILOGUE
EIGHT WEEKS LATER
MAEVE
The morning air is crisp and clean, carrying the scent of salt and eucalyptus. It’s unfamiliar, like a language I’m only now learning to speak.
The cabin groans as I step onto the porch, its wood warped with sea-spray and silence. Beyond it, the ocean stretches, a vast expanse of blue-green that swallows the horizon like something alive.
I used to think peace was something loud, something earned through noise. But maybe it’s this. The hush that comes after.
Teddy races around on the front lawn, chasing his tail like it’s his next meal. I huff out a laugh, shaking my head.
Such a monster.
The laptop on the table hums softly, its screen glowing with the headline I’ve been staring at for the last hour.
Pinnacle Corporation Exposed: Shocking Truths Behind the World’s Leading Research Organisation.
It’s done. The world knows. Names, evidence, videos. Every sin and every horror, out there, no longer buried beneath a facade of science and innovation. Pinnacle’s empire is crumbling, and I’m the one who struck the first blow.
I’ve written exposés before. But this one is different.
This one is mine. It’s personal, it’s dirty and it’s necessary.
Although, it’s not a victory, not really. Just truth. And the truth has to be enough. The lives lost, the innocence stolen, can’t be undone.
I sink into the lounge chair, pulling the blanket tighter around my shoulders, and lift my coffee mug to my lips. A small smile stretches, tugging at muscles I’ve long since forgotten existed.
But I’m getting there, my smile lingering longer with each use.
“You’re still staring at it?” Caleb’s voice startles me, soft and warm like the sunlight creeping over the horizon.
I glance over my shoulder, my smile widening. He’s leaning against the doorframe, a mug of coffee in one hand, while he shoves the other through his already-tousled hair, his face still bearing faint scars.
His smile, though? That’s genuine. And just as beautiful as it ever was. Maybe more so, because I know that behind it is another version of the man I love. The one who drags me into the shadows with him, and breaks me, only to build me back up again, each time a little stronger.
A little less shattered.
I just stare at him. He’s my anchor, the man who’s seen every dark, broken part of me. And still, he stayed.
“Asher let you have the body this morning?” I raise an eyebrow, biting onto my bottom lip.
Caleb chuckles, crossing the porch and sitting beside me. “He’s here,” he says, tapping his temple. “Just being unusually quiet.”
I drop my head onto his shoulder, threading an arm through his. “Well, that’s a first.”
He laughs again, the sound wrapping around me like a balm, and kisses my forehead. “I think you wore him out last night.”
The lines between Caleb and Asher have blurred in ways I didn’t think were possible. They’re not at war anymore. It’s not perfect, but it’s peace. And that’s enough.
I clear my throat, my face heating. “I doubt that.”
More like Asher finally let me take control for once. He’s stubborn like that. Always thinks he knows best.
Caleb sighs and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. “Yeah, me too.”
He takes a sip from his mug, his fingers tracing gentle circles against the side of my neck. The warmth of his touch seeps into my bones, grounding me.
“You did it, baby,” he says quietly, his hazel eyes searching mine. “You brought them down.”
“ We brought them down,” I say, giving him a playful nudge. “I was just the one still standing at the end.”
He holds a hand up, coffee splashing over the side of his mug, and onto his grey sweatpants. “You try getting stabbed. That shit’s painful. I died, did you forget about that?”
My throat closes, and I shake my head. “I’d rather forget than replay that moment over and over. I thought I lost you for good. Never do that to me again.”
His gaze softens, and he sighs. “I’m sorry. Coping mechanisms, remember? They’re shit.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering against my cheek.
It’s a simple gesture, yet so intimate. Just the touch of his fingers is too much, and not enough all at once. My chest aches with the weight of everything I feel for him.
“What now?” he says, his voice low.
I glance out at the ocean, waves crashing against the shore in an endless rhythm. “Now . . .” I grab his hand, intertwining our fingers, and bring his knuckles to my lips. “Now, I want to focus on the future.”
His grip tightens in mine, and he leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “I like the sound of that. Should we start right now?”
Grinning, I smack a hand against his chest. “Breakfast first. I need to refuel.”
Caleb only rolls his eyes and pulls me even closer. A gentle breeze carries the scent of saltwater, tangling my hair around my face.
He brushes it away. “You’re incredible.” His voice is thick with emotion. “After everything you’ve been through, everything we’ve been through, you’re still here. Still fighting. Fuck, you even dragged my arse out a fucking window.”
I swallow hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak. “I wasn’t leaving you,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “You kept me standing when I wanted to fall. You believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. You stayed. No-one’s ever stayed before.”
The meaning behind my words isn’t lost on him, and he places his mug down and cups my face in both hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears I hadn’t realised were falling.
“Always,” he says. “And I’ll keep standing next to you, baby. Every damn day.”
The raw sincerity in his voice sucks the breath from my lungs, and I curl in closer to him, like I could hide the way my chest fractures open.
I press my forehead against his. “I love you.” The words spill out like a confession.
Not that he hasn’t heard them plenty of times before. He already knows my secrets—I’ve spilled them every single day since the fire. Since I thought I lost him for good.
Caleb smiles, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “I love you, too.” He leans in, slowly, carefully, like I’m a fragile thing that might break.
Damn it, the tension is killing me. My breathing speeds up, my body igniting under the warmth of his breath as he brushes his lips against mine, barely there, but I feel the kiss everywhere.
I press closer, but Caleb pulls away too soon, shaking his head, and mumbling under his breath.
“Asher?” I say, squeezing my lips together to hide my smile.
Caleb exhales sharply, rubbing his forehead. “Yep.” He pops the p. “Apparently, I’m a pathetic arsehole, and I should learn how to use our dick properly.” A grin spreads across his lips. “But you know what?”
I know that look.
“What?” My teeth sink into my bottom lip.
Caleb leans in, pressing his lips to my ear. “Asher can suffer in silence,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my skin. “Because right now, I’m the one who gets to put his hands on you. Should we let him listen in while I make you scream my name?”
There’s no time to react when he crushes his lips to mine, slow, but far from tender, capturing every ounce of pain and hope between us.
I crawl into his lap, sliding my fingers through his dark hair. Our bruises may have faded, but the scars beneath them will never be erased. I trace the edge of my bite mark on his upper arm as if it might tell me what comes next.
It doesn’t matter, though.
For the first time in years, I know what this feeling is.
Peace.