Chapter 6 - The Unbroken Horizon
Six months after the night on the Lumière, the Monaco harbor was calm, bright, and bathed in the golden warmth of late afternoon sunlight.
I stood on the exact same upper deck of the superyacht, leaning against the teak railing, looking out toward the horizon where the blue water met the pale autumn sky.
This time, I wasn't wearing a quiet ivory dress designed to blend into the background. I wore a tailored midnight-blue pantsuit, my hair styled in loose waves, my posture upright and completely unshakeable.
Julian walked up beside me, handing me a glass of sparkling water, and slipped his arm around my waist.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked softly.
I smiled, watching a distant sailboat glide across the calm bay.
“I was just thinking about that champagne splash,” I murmured.
“Regretting it?”
“Not for a second,” I said, turning my head to look into his eyes. “It taught me a very valuable lesson.”
“Which is?”
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“Never underestimate the quiet person standing by the dessert table,” I replied, clinking my glass against his. “Because they just might own the yacht you’re standing on.”
Julian threw his head back and laughed, the sound carrying out over the open water, bright and free, as we sailed together into an endless, unbroken horizon.
