Epilogue
One Year Later…
Nerves filtered through me, a slow and steady hum that had increased with each passing hour.
“You’ll do amazing,” Ursuline murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck.
I shifted, uncomfortable in the formalwear I’d donned, even though I’d chosen a pale-green linen suit and an off-white tee underneath.
I’d been scrubbing away at the paint stains on my fingers all week, hoping to be presentable for today, and I’d done my best to style my hair.
Ursuline looked formidably fine in their black tunic and silver choker, their hair carefully styled and liner making their eyes pop.
Their tentacle curled around my wrist and squeezed, and I took solace in it as we stepped into view of Landmark Gallery. It was a large building in the middle of the city, and the lights glowed from inside, beckoning us.
Tonight, it’d be the space hosting my first gallery showing.
The past year with Ursuline had been beyond my wildest fantasies.
We’d found ourselves a new house in the city, similar to their old one.
Ours was only a few streets down from Sofia and Gretel’s, so we’d started to spend more and more time with them, the occasional catch-up over tea or dinners.
Plus, game nights at the Spires were consistent and endlessly entertaining.
The three-level house with its ornate carvings and wooden detailwork had ensnared my attention, and we’d set up an office for Ursuline’s new business, a non-profit law firm.
That had taken off at once, and given their connections, there was no shortage of work for them to get involved in.
Pride thrummed inside me every time they came home and shared their cases with me.
And we’d converted the top room of the house into my studio.
I’d spent so many hours there, painting after painting pouring out of me. My muse had no shortage of subjects, whether it was the monster who made me scream in bed every night or the trials and tribulations we’d faced to find this peace.
And Jason had not only brought over my paintings that had resided at his place, but he’d made the initial contact with Landmark Gallery to set up this exhibition tonight. Now that I was my own man, separate from the Durand family, I was free to pursue the career as an artist I’d always longed for.
And my parents hadn’t made a peep. They were too happy to keep their distance, especially with how the Triton kingdom had toppled.
The Human First members of society had blacklisted the Triton family at once upon discovering they were merfolk, but the Liquidium Industries scandal was what buried Frederick.
Many of the companies who’d worked with him above and below had fallen prey to the shell corporation owned by Triton Industries, and Frederick and his family had been skimming off the top of it for a long, long while, living large on those funds.
He’d been prosecuted among his peers, found guilty, and faced jail time, and it couldn’t have happened to a better person.
“Are you ready?” Ursuline asked, offering an arm.
I accepted their arm, the touch grounding me at once. Their quiet presence had been a touchstone for me from the moment we’d met, and I could barely believe some days that I’d get to keep them for the rest of my life.
We walked up the pathway, the spotlights casting plenty of visibility.
When I reached the door, I hesitated. This was every secret dream I’d held.
Of my art making it out into the world. Of a partner who lifted me up rather than tearing me down.
Of a freedom that surged through my veins more with every passing day.
I stepped inside, along with Ursuline.
Relaxed music filtered into the foyer, setting up the ambiance for the building, and a gorgon in a flowing red dress approached, her bright-lipped smile engaging.
“Elrich Durand,” she said. “Pleased to meet you. Follow me into the main gallery space, and we can get you set up for the showing.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice a little hushed. This place was elegant, like the buildings I’d circulated through growing up, but from the gorgon in front of me alone, I could already see the difference.
I followed her in through the ornate green doors, which she latched open, and the sight before me caused my breath to snag.
The room itself was beautiful—crystal chandeliers, sweeping staircases leading to the second floor, and a black and white checkerboard floor. The walls were a dusky blue, the trim powder white, and the ceilings vaulted.
And adorning the walls in every direction was piece after framed piece of my artwork.
“I’ll let you wander for a moment. Soak it in,” the gorgon woman said, flashing another grin before she hustled back to the foyer.
I could barely move, frozen in place. The pieces that spanned before me were of darkened hallways, bloodied seas, of tentacles and motion, of love and light—unending light.
They were the quiet of velvet night and the bright sunshine that pierced through darkened clouds.
They were the story of Ursuline and me, of how fate had pushed us together. How we’d found each other, and how we’d fought for our freedom and didn’t let go.
“I’m so proud of you,” Ursuline said, their lips brushing against my ear. “See how you light up a room, sunshine?”
Heat prickled my eyes, and I had to swallow down a sob. The immense love that swelled within me was unparalleled. Each painting formed a tapestry of us, and seeing them all displayed at once overwhelmed me in the best way.
“I love you,” I murmured. “As long as we’re together, I’ll never run out of inspiration. You bring color and depth to my life.”
Ursuline pressed another kiss to my temple, and their tentacle squeezed around my ankle. “I love you too, Elrich. You’re a gift I’ll never stop appreciating. And no one will ever tear us apart.”
They brought their arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into their warmth, into the solace I found in them. Heat spread from my chest outward, to my fingers, my toes, until my whole body was suffused with it.
I’d spent so long confined, same as them, but now a brilliant and meandering road sprawled out before me, filled with mysteries and grief and beauty and love so sharp it hurt. And with Ursuline by my side, this path was one I couldn’t wait to travel.