Epilogue Seamus - 6 Months Mark
Chapter forty-four
My marriage was supposed to end today.
Instead, I'm watching my wife—my actual, chosen-for-real wife—cut a ribbon in front of a restored building while a crowd of neighborhood residents and city officials applaud.
She's wearing that blue cardigan I love and a dress covered in hand-drawn flowers, and she's absolutely radiant.
Luna is next to her, holding one end of the ribbon and saying something that makes Rosanna laugh. Dr. Vince is there too, beaming with professional pride at the restoration work that transformed a neglected storefront into this beautiful space.
The building looks like itself again. Clean brick. Restored windows. The terra cotta detail gleaming in the spring light.
Above the door: Mira’s Garden Community Arts Center.
The plaza is already full.
Parents are sitting on the benches watching their kids. Teenagers are sketching in the gazebo. Spring flowers spill from the planters.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it. Whatever it is can wait. Right now, I just want to watch Rosanna officially open the doors and let the first visitors inside to see what we've built together.
The ribbon is cut, and the crowd surges forward into the building. I follow at a distance, content to observe rather than participate in the spotlight. This is Rosanna's moment, not mine. I'm just the person who helped make it possible.
Inside, history and paint share the same walls. Restored tile underfoot. Kids at easels. Rosanna’s illustrations framed above the reading nook.
Fantasy, turned blueprint.
Children are already claiming easels, parents are exploring the space, and I can hear Rosanna giving an impromptu tour to a group of community members who remember when this building housed the original neighborhood market.
She's in her element—talking about the restoration, explaining her vision for programming, making everyone feel welcome and excited about what this space can become.
I find a quiet corner and watch.
Luna catches my eye from across the room and gives me a thumbs up. We've reached a tentative peace, she and I.
She still doesn’t fully trust me. Fair.
But she gives me a nod. That’s enough.
***
Tessa from ERS stands near the gazebo when I step outside.
“It's officially been six months,” she says. “Your contract period ends today. We can process the annulment. Or you can close your file as a voluntary continuation.”
I don’t hesitate. “Close it.”
Tessa's smile is genuine now, reaching her eyes. "I was hoping you'd say that. I've been doing this work for a long time, and I can usually tell which placements will work and which won't. I wasn't sure you'd make it past the first month, honestly."
"Neither was I," I admit.
She makes a few notes on her tablet, then looks up at me with an expression that's almost maternal. "I'm going to mark your file as: Successful. Voluntary. Healthy. That's the best outcome we can hope for at ERS."
I head back inside, where Rosanna is now leading a group of children in some kind of art project. They're all painting on a large canvas together, adding flowers and trees.
She sees me watching and her whole face lights up.
I cross the room to her, and she excuses herself from the art project to meet me halfway.
"The space looks incredible," I tell her. "Everything you hoped it would be."
"Better," she says, slipping her hand into mine.
Kids laugh behind us. Paint smears across canvas.
Rosanna’s fingers lace through mine.
No contract. No deadline.
Just us.
Sunny side up.
The End