Chapter 29
As evening settled over the city, casting a warm amber glow across the skyline, Craig stepped outside onto the quiet second-story balcony to catch a breath of the fresh spring air. The night sky was clear, studded with a million brilliant stars that shone down without obstruction, casting a gentle silver light across the modern neighborhood below. He rested his forearms against the polished glass railing, inhaling the crisp scent of blooming jasmine from the garden downstairs, feeling an overwhelming wave of profound peace wash over his soul. The journey from the heavy oak doors of that Richmond dining room to this sunlit balcony had been long, winding, and fraught with emotional storms, but every single step had been necessary to strip away the illusions of obligation and reclaim his own self-worth. Sloan stepped out onto the balcony behind him, wrapping a soft cashmere scarf gently around his neck before sliding her arms around his waist from behind, resting her cheek against his back. "Penny for your thoughts, Mr. Richmond," she murmured softly against the fabric of his shirt. Craig turned around within her embrace, wrapping his arms securely around her shoulders and looking down into her loving, expressive eyes. "I was just thinking that we finally wrote the ending we always deserved, Sloan," Craig whispered, his voice steady and full of quiet joy. "No forced roles, no conditional affection, and no heavy manila folders—just us, moving forward into whatever comes next." Sloan smiled radiantly, pulling him down for a deep, lingering kiss that sealed the promise of their shared future. The past was securely closed behind them like a finished book on a shelf, and as they stood together under the starlit sky, the blank pages of tomorrow stretched out before them, bright, unwritten, and entirely their own.
