EPILOGUE #3
"Look at it!" Olivia screamed, her voice cracking, echoing violently off the thin walls of the rental house.
Linda let out a choked sob, covering her mouth with her hands as she looked at the photograph. Beatrice curled into herself, her face turning pale with terror.
"Look at what you cost me!" Olivia shrieked, pointing a shaking, furious finger at the magazine. "I could have been in that picture! I came so incredibly close! I was standing at the altar of that world, and he loved me! I could have had that life, that family, that security!"
"Livie, please," Linda wept, reaching a trembling hand out.
"Do not touch me!" Olivia roared, stepping backward, her chest heaving with a lifetime of unhealable bitterness.
"Look at what happened because of your narrow-minded, pathetic greed!
You destroyed my future! You ruined my life!
You are nothing but toxic, scheming parasites, and I will never, ever forgive you! "
She didn't wait for their apologies. She didn't want to hear their pathetic excuses.
Olivia turned on her heel, storming down the narrow hallway and slamming her bedroom door with enough force to shake the picture frames on the walls, leaving her family to sit in the suffocating, inescapable hell of their own creation.
***
By the time the coastal thaw arrived, painting the Rhode Island cliffs in vibrant shades of spring green, it had become abundantly clear to everyone involved that dealing with a pregnant Aurora Lockhart was an endeavor not meant for the faint of heart.
Spencer was rapidly coming to realize that the confident, unshakable control he exerted in the corporate world meant absolutely nothing within the walls of his own home.
Aurora was demanding, fiercely specific about her cravings, and ruthless when her expectations were not met.
Spencer had been dispatched at three in the morning to secure imported French pastries, he had been forbidden from wearing certain colognes because they offended her heightened senses, and he was currently carrying her designer handbag as they walked out of the Boston obstetric clinic.
But despite the exhaustion, Spencer had never been happier. He was a man deeply, irreversibly devoted to the chaos of his wife.
Later that afternoon, the sprawling back terrace of the Lockhart estate was bathed in warm, golden sunlight.
The entire family had gathered for a late lunch, the wrought-iron tables covered in salads, fresh seafood, and iced tea.
Theo was currently running across the grass, squealing as Ryder chased him with a colorful kite.
Spencer and Aurora stood near the head of the table, holding a sealed envelope from Dr. Evans.
"Alright, we have the results of the anatomy scan," Spencer announced, his voice carrying over the chatter of the families. The table immediately fell silent, all eyes turning toward the couple with eager anticipation.
Aurora took the envelope, her manicured fingers elegantly tearing the seal. She pulled out the small card, her eyes scanning the doctor's elegant handwriting. A slow, brilliant smile broke across her flawless face.
She turned to her husband, tapping the card against his chest. "You are having a son, Spencer."
The terrace erupted in cheers. John and James immediately stood up to shake hands, while Margaret and Delia clapped delightedly.
"A boy!" Spencer laughed, a look of staggering pride washing over his face as he pulled Aurora into his arms, kissing her deeply. "Another boy in the family."
Aurora pulled back, resting her hands on his chest, offering him a sharp, warning glare that was laced with affection.
"You can celebrate now, Spencer," Aurora announced loudly, ensuring the entire table could hear her. "But you'd better figure out how to give me a daughter next time around. I refuse to be outnumbered by Lockhart men in my own house."
The family burst into hilarious, uncontained laughter. Spencer threw his head back, laughing heartily as he pulled his demanding, beautiful wife back against his side.
A few feet away, seated comfortably on the outdoor sofa, Grayson and Kennedy watched the joyful scene unfold.
Kennedy rested her head against Grayson’s shoulder, a soft, contented sigh escaping her lips.
Grayson wrapped his arm around her, his hand resting comfortably on her hip, holding her close.
He looked out across the lawn, watching Ryder lift a laughing Theo onto his shoulders, hearing the booming laughter of their fathers and the sharp wit of their friends.
They had survived the wreckage. They had navigated the darkest, most agonizing chapters of their lives, enduring betrayal and heartbreak, to slowly, painstakingly rebuild the foundation of their world.
And as Grayson pressed a quiet, lingering kiss to the top of his wife’s head, feeling the steady, reassuring beat of her heart against his side, he knew that the storm was permanently behind them.
They were surrounded by an unshakeable fortress of love, anchored by the family they had built, and perfectly at peace.