Chapter 24: The Life I Chose

Three months later, I stood beneath the wide wooden arch at Jack's ranch in Connecticut.

The spring air carried the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers.

Horses moved quietly across the distant fields.

For the first time in either of my lives, I felt completely at peace.

Jack came up behind me and handed me a cup of coffee.

"You disappeared again."

I smiled.

"I was thinking."

"That's dangerous."

I laughed softly.

The sound surprised me.

I hadn't laughed like that in years.

Not because someone had made me the punchline of a joke.

Not because I was pretending to be happy.

I was simply happy.

Jack leaned against the fence beside me.

"The lawyer called this morning."

My smile faded slightly.

"About my parents?"

He nodded.

"Your father's trial begins next month. Your mother's case will be handled separately."

I looked across the fields.

"And Corbin?"

"He testified against them."

I was quiet for a moment.

"How is he?"

"Trying to rebuild his life."

I nodded.

I didn't hate Corbin anymore.

But I didn't want him back either.

Some people belonged in your memories, not your future.

Emma had moved out of New York after everything came to light.

She had refused every offer of financial help from our parents.

She'd started working at a small animal shelter.

It wasn't forgiveness.

It wasn't reconciliation.

But it was a beginning.

My grandmother had recovered from the fire.

She had moved into a smaller house nearby and spent most of her time gardening.

She called me every Sunday.

Sometimes we talked for hours.

Sometimes we simply sat on the phone in comfortable silence.

She had never stopped believing I deserved a life of my own.

I touched the aquamarine ring on my finger.

Jack noticed.

"Still happy with your choice?"

I looked at him.

"More than ever."

He smiled.

"Good."

Then he reached into his pocket.

My eyebrows lifted.

"What's that?"

"Something I should have given you a long time ago."

He opened his hand.

Inside was a small silver key.

I stared at it.

"What's it for?"

"The house at the far end of the ranch."

"You never showed me inside."

"Because I wanted you to decide whether you wanted to stay first."

My heart skipped.

"Jack..."

"I'm not asking you because of the ring."

"I'm asking because I love you."

I looked at the man standing in front of me.

He had never asked me to prove my love.

He had never compared me to Emma.

He had never laughed at my pain.

He had simply stayed.

I closed my fingers around the key.

"Then I suppose I should see the house."

His smile widened.

"I suppose you should."

We walked toward the far end of the ranch together.

The house was small compared with the Sinclair estate.

There were no marble floors.

No crystal chandeliers.

No endless rooms filled with expensive art.

There was a wooden porch, a stone fireplace, and windows overlooking the fields.

It was imperfect.

It was quiet.

It was ours.

I stepped inside.

On the mantel sat a framed photograph of the two of us.

I turned toward Jack.

"When did you take this?"

"The day you first came to the ranch."

I smiled.

"I look exhausted."

"You were."

"And yet you kept me."

Jack stepped closer.

"I wasn't looking for someone perfect."

"I was looking for someone who chose me freely."

My eyes filled with tears.

In my first life, I had spent years trying to earn love.

I had sacrificed my happiness to make everyone else comfortable.

I had mistaken being chosen by someone else for choosing myself.

This life was different.

I wasn't somebody's replacement.

I wasn't the difficult daughter.

I wasn't the sister who had ruined someone else's future.

I was simply Esme.

And that was enough.

That evening, I stood on the porch watching the sunset over the fields.

Jack came to stand beside me.

"Ready for tomorrow?"

I looked at him.

"What happens tomorrow?"

He smiled.

"Whatever you want."

I rested my head against his shoulder.

"Then tomorrow, we'll start building the life we should have had all along."

He kissed the top of my head.

For once, I wasn't afraid of tomorrow.

Because tomorrow belonged to me.