Chapter 10 - The Epilogue of Light
Five years later, the boardwalk of Atlantic City was a different place. The old neon signs had been replaced with modern LED displays, and the shady syndicates that once controlled the piers had long since been dismantled, replaced by legitimate shipping hubs and public parks funded by the Cortese-Vega Foundation.
On a bright, crisp autumn afternoon, a little girl with curly dark hair and bright amber-flecked eyes ran along the wooden planks of the pier, laughing as a flock of seagulls scattered into the salty coastal wind.
A few paces behind her walked a man in a simple black wool coat, his hands tucked casually into his pockets, watching her every move with fierce, unconditional devotion. Beside him walked a woman in a cream-colored cardigan, her nursing badge gleaming proudly on her lapel as she headed toward her shift at the newly modernized coastal hospital downtown.
Marisol stopped near the railing, letting the ocean breeze catch her hair. She looked back at Matteo, who caught her eye and smiled that slow, grounding smile that had first caught her attention in a greasy diner years ago.
He walked over, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close against his side. There were no bruises beneath her sleeves—only the warmth of the sun, the sound of their daughter laughing in the distance, and the absolute certainty that the past could no longer touch them.
"Ready for your shift, Doctor Vega?" Matteo asked softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.
May you like
Marisol looked out over the sparkling expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, where the horizon stretched endlessly into the bright, clear blue of a brand-new day.
"Always," she smiled, interlocking her fingers securely with his. "Always."
