Chapter 6 - A Loaded Magazine (Happy Ending)
Two Years Later.
The sun was shining brightly over the coastal town of Carmel, California.
I sat on the deck of a beautiful oceanfront restaurant, sipping sparkling water with a slice of lemon. The ocean breeze caught my hair, carrying the scent of salt and pine.
Across the table sat Grant. He was laughing at something I had just said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He reached across the table and took my hand. His hands were rough, calloused, and strong. I squeezed his fingers, feeling the solid weight of the gold band on his left ring finger.
We had been married for three months. A private ceremony on a beach, with just my parents and a few close friends. No drama. No secrets.
My security firm had doubled in size. We were wildly successful.
Sometimes, I heard updates about my past through the grapevine. Eric had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of corporate fraud, served six months in a minimum-security facility, and was now working as a night-shift manager at a fast-food chain in Ohio. He was broke and alone.
Natalie had given birth to a little boy. Marcus was forced by the courts to pay child support, but he fought her for full custody, proving she was an unfit mother due to her massive debts and unstable living conditions. He won. Natalie was currently living with roommates in a tiny apartment, working two retail jobs to survive.
They had tried to destroy me. Instead, they had only destroyed themselves.
"What are you thinking about?" Grant asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked out at the vast, endless ocean. I thought about the military. I thought about how you must never step into a battle unless you know every bullet is loaded.
I had fought the hardest battle of my life, armed with nothing but the truth and my own resilience. And I had won everything that mattered.
"I'm not thinking about anything, really," I smiled, turning my gaze back to my husband. "I'm just enjoying the peace."
Grant lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. "You earned it, boss."
May you like
I took a deep breath of the ocean air. The past was dead. The future was bright. And the present?
The present was absolutely perfect.
