---- Chapter 23 Emerson Keller POV: As we drove away from the penthouse, away from the ruin of my past life, | felt a strange sense of lightness. The weight | had been carrying for so long, the weight of grief and anger and vengeance, had finally been lifted. "It's really over," | whispered, more to myself than to Keenan. He reached over and took my hand, his fingers lacing through mine. "It' s really over," he confirmed. "Now, the rest of your life begins." We drove in comfortable silence for a while, the city giving way to the green, rolling hills of the countryside. We were heading to the Hamptons. To my old summer house. To my new home. | leaned my head against the window, watching the world go by, and felt a tear slip down my cheek. It wasn't a tear of sadness, but of relief. Of release. "Are you okay?" Keenan asked, his thumb gently stroking the back of my hand. "Lam," | said, turning to him with a watery smile. "I think | am, for the first time in a very long time." ---- | reached up and touched the locket at my throat. | had found it in a box of old childhood treasures when we were clearing out the summer house. | had put it on that morning, a silent talisman of a simpler, happier time. "You know," | said, a teasing note in my voice, "| seem to remember giving you the key to this locket. What did you ever do with it?" He smiled, that slow, warm smile that always made my heart do a little flip. "I still have it," he said. "I' ve kept it with me all these years. On the off chance you might remember it existed." "| never forgot," | said softly. The air in the car grew thick with unspoken emotions, with years of missed opportunities and feelings left unsaid. "Emerson," he said, his voice serious, his eyes never leaving the road. "I need to tell you something. I' ve loved you since we were ten years old. I' ve loved you through your debutante balls, your college boyfriends, and your disastrous marriage. | have never stopped loving you." My breath caught in my throat. | had known, of course. Deep down, | had always known. But to hear him say it, so simply, so honestly, it was overwhelming. "| loved you too," | whispered, the confession feeling both terrifying and liberating. "Before Barron. | was just too young, ---- too foolish, to know what to do with it." "It's not too late," he said, his gaze finally meeting mine. "We' re not those kids anymore. We' ve both been through our own wars. But we survived. We' re still here. And | don' t want to waste another minute." He pulled the car over to the side of the road, under the shade of a large oak tree. He turned to me, his eyes blazing with an intensity that made my heart race. "I'm not Barron," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I will never try to own you. | will never try to change you. | just want to love you. To protect you. To spend the rest of my life making you happy. If you' II let me." Tears were streaming down my face now, but they were tears of joy. Of a hope | thought had been extinguished forever. "Yes," | whispered. "Yes, Keenan. |' Il let you." He leaned in and kissed me. And this time, it was not a kiss of comfort, but of passion. Of promise. Of a future | had never dared to dream of. It was a kiss that sealed the end of one chapter of my life, and the beginning of a beautiful new one. As we pulled back onto the road, the sun broke through the clouds, bathing the world in a warm, golden light. For the first time, | looked ahead, not with fear or dread, but with a heart full of hope. | was going home. And for the first time, | knew | wouldn't be alone. In "CEO, That Intern is Actually Your Wife" by CrushReel, delve into a captivating romance where a billionaire CEO becomes contractually linked to an unexpected partner. When faced with the urgent need to fund her grandmother's critical surgery, our protagonist finds herself in a unique situation—entering a one-year contract marriage with a stranger. As the story unfolds, themes of love, sacrifice, and the complexities of modern relationships come to light. The novel offers a fresh take on the familiar billionaire romance genre by exploring the dynamics of office relationships and the intricacies of contract lovers. Discover this modern tale of unexpected connections and heartfelt emotions, available to read at CrushReel.