EPILOGUE
Lynn was practically sprinting down the mall corridor, glancing over her shoulder.
“Nina, can you please hurry up? The wedding is tomorrow, and I still don’t have the damn white stockings!”
Nina tore her gaze from her phone, wincing as her feet throbbed in the heels.
“One second,” she said. “I’m texting Daphne back.”
Lynn rolled her eyes, and Nina, trying not to limp, caught up with her. Damn heels. Who had forced her to dress up like she was walking a runway?
Oh right… her own stupid desire to look better than she felt. And Jasper was supposed to swing by later.
Which meant dress, makeup, heels, and that fluttery nervousness stirring in her chest—all entirely his fault.
The pre-wedding chaos was driving Lynn insane. She darted from floor to floor, losing and rediscovering the shopping list over and over.
And Nina loved all of it.
The fuss, the laughter, the bickering—life wasn’t perfect, but it was real. Lynn didn’t call her “mom,” and Nina didn’t expect her to. But they had grown close. Almost like girlfriends—arguing, laughing until they cried, sharing secrets.
“I need the restroom,” Lynn said once they finally located the lingerie boutique.
“Let’s go. We’ll come back after,” Nina smiled.
Pregnant Lynn was picky as ever, but Nolan treated her with adoration and ridiculous tenderness. Even Jasper seemed to have made peace with everything—and with Nolan—though he’d never admit it and still glared at him from time to time.
Nina’s phone buzzed again. A message from Jasper:
“I’m in the parking garage. Where should I meet you?”
She typed quickly:
“Boutique ‘Silk.’ Third floor. We’ll be there in five.”
She hit send and glanced around, Lynn was already turning toward the restrooms. Nina hurried after her but, passing a storefront window, caught her reflection. A little disheveled, a little tired… but overall, not bad.
Her feet were dying in the heels, but inside she felt a warm flicker of anticipation at the thought of seeing him.
Her phone lit up again. A message from Daphne: a beach photo, sun and ocean behind her, Daphne and her friends in swimsuits that said Queens.
Her girl…
A weight slid off Nina’s chest. For so long she had blamed herself for Daphne having to leave the country, change schools, build a new life because of everything that happened with Frank. But now—for the first time in years—Nina felt something close to relief.
It looked like Daphne was truly okay. And Nina finally felt like she could breathe.
“Nina!” Lynn called. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah, coming!” Nina answered distractedly, still looking at her phone—and walked straight into a bright yellow “Caution: Wet Floor” sign.
“Sorry,” she started, lifting her eyes—and froze.
Vivian stood in front of her.
In a janitor’s uniform, mall logo on her chest. Rubber gloves. A mop in her hand. A bucket at her feet. Her face drawn and tired.
They stared at each other—a second, two.
Seeing her like that shocked Nina. But really…
what else had Vivian expected from life?
As far as Nina knew, she had never finished college.
Started an affair with Frank Osborne, threw her own life away, lived off Nina’s money, clung to everything that wasn’t hers—and when it all collapsed, she collapsed with it.
Nina didn’t feel sorry for her. Not even a little.
Vivian and Frank had earned everything they got.
He wouldn’t see freedom anytime soon, and she… she would never get back the life she thought she deserved.
Nina looked away without a word. She caught the recognition—then the hatred—in Vivian’s eyes, but walked past her as if she were nothing at all.
Still, it was so good that she had worn those damn heels today and looked absolutely stunning!
“Nina!” Lynn called again. “Dad’s already here!”
“Coming!” Nina echoed, feeling something expand inside her—light, quiet, liberating.
She smiled and followed her daughter.
On the third floor, Jasper was waiting—calm, casual, and somehow still… hers. His gaze slid from Lynn to Nina. He smiled and reached for Nina’s hand. They understood each other without speaking. It still amazed her.
Lynn walked a few steps ahead, laughing at something Nolan said over the phone. Nina watched her, watched Jasper—and suddenly understood that this simple moment held everything.
Warmth.
Meaning.
Life.
And love.
She squeezed his hand a little tighter and didn’t let go.
Sometimes happiness didn’t arrive with noise or fanfare. It pushed its way through pain and humiliation, through trials that once made you think you’d never get back up again. It came not when you waited for it, but when you finally stopped waiting. It simply took your hand and stayed.
Nineteen-year-old Nina Osborne would never have believed that her path would lead her here.
She would’ve never accepted that her happy ending would be beside Jasper Garth, the very man she had fallen for at first sight, the one who had once left deep scars on her body and her soul.
She would’ve never believed that he could become a gentle, caring, loving man for her… or a father to their daughter.
And that with him, she would become truly, unmistakably happy.
The end
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for staying with these characters until the very end. Their story wasn’t easy—but it was warm, alive, full of pain, hope, and, of course, love.
For an author, there is no greater happiness than knowing that a story written from the heart has reached yours.
If you enjoyed this book, you may also enjoy Love Found After Betrayal.
For sixteen years, Hailey believed that patience, loyalty, and love could save a marriage.
But her world shatters when her husband’s betrayal is exposed—along with his pregnant mistress and a brutal, humiliating divorce.
Left without the life she once knew, Hailey becomes convinced that love is a luxury she can no longer afford.
Caleb is a judge.
Cold. Confident. Untouchable.
With an impeccable reputation and a past he never truly let go of.
Years ago, he loved Hailey in silence while she built a life with another man. Now fate gives him a second chance. And this time, he has no intention of letting her go.
This is the story of a woman who believes she is broken.
And of the man who waited for her far too long.