Epilogue:One Year Later
1776 Words
Sienna
The Final Peace
We got fifteen minutes.
The hospital staff had managed to revive Julian and clear the room for just a moment. It was the three of us—no, the four of us. The boy was tucked into Julian’s arm, and the girl was curled against my chest. The afternoon sun was streaming through the hospital window, casting a golden glow over everything.
"We’re in trouble," Julian whispered, looking down at his son. "He has my jaw. He’s going to argue with me about everything."
"And she has my eyes," I laughed softly. "Which means she’s going to get exactly what she wants from you."
Julian leaned over and kissed my forehead, then kissed both of the babies. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Then, the doors burst open.
It was a flood. My mother was at the front, armed with cashmere baby blankets and a designer diaper bag. Arthur Vane followed, shouting about trust funds and ivy league prep schools. Leo was live-streaming the "Royal Arrival," and aunts and cousins were piling presents so high the nurses had to move the furniture.
They were bustling over me, cleaning my face with warm cloths, fixing my pillows, and arguing over which twin looked more like a Sterling. It was loud. It was chaotic. It was a total lack of privacy.
But as I looked at Julian—who was now being lectured by his father on the proper way to hold a baby—I didn't feel the need to be "perfect." I didn't care that my hair was a mess or that the whole world was watching our private life.
I realized then that for years, I had lived for the "Black Dress." I had lived for the validation of the front row and the approval of people who didn't actually know my heart. I had fought so hard to be the "perfect heir" that I’d forgotten to be a person.
But Julian had seen me in my bikinis, in my glitter, in my rage, and in my pain. And he had loved all of it.
I leaned back into the soft pillows, a tired, happy smile spreading across my face as I watched my crazy family celebrate the two tiny miracles we had created.
Life is lived best when you stop worrying about what others think of you, I thought, closing my eyes for just a second of bliss. When you stop seeking validation from a world that doesn't know your soul... that is the moment you truly start to live.
The Vengeance was gone. The Vows were real. And as I opened my eyes to see Julian looking at me with a love so bright it rivaled the sun, I knew our best chapter was only just beginning.
One year later
The lawn of our new estate was a beautiful, dizzying blur of icy blue and superhero red. I stood on the patio, watching the "Vane-Sterling Merger" officially transition into the "Battle of the Grandparents." It was the twins' first birthday, and the theme was a total, glorious mess—a mash-up of Elsa and Spider-Man, because Jaylynn wouldn’t go anywhere without her sparkly blue cape, and Noah spent half his time trying to "web" the furniture with his sticky hands.
The decorations were as split as their personalities. Even their nursery upstairs was a battleground of aesthetics; one half was a shimmering Arendelle kingdom, while the other was a skyscraper-filled Salt City skyline.
"Is that a four-tier banana and peanut butter cake?" Julian asked, coming up behind me and sliding his arms around my waist.
"It is," I laughed, leaning back into him. "Apparently, the craving I had when I was carrying them became their entire personality. They won't touch anything unless it has a smear of peanut butter on it".
The catering was just as specific. Instead of the stiff, "Old Money" hors d'oeuvres our parents would have preferred, the tables were covered in heart-shaped banana and peanut butter waffles and mini-pancakes. There were mountains of cupcakes—half topped with snowflakes and the other half with edible spiderwebs—that the twins were currently face-planting into with pure, sugary joy.
"They’re out of control," Julian whispered, watching my mother try to shield her silk dress from a stray piece of banana Noah had launched across the lawn.
"They’re exactly like us," I said, squeezing his hand. "A little chaotic, a lot stubborn, and completely unbothered by what the 'polite society' thinks of their snack choices."
I looked out at our family—the grandparents actually just chilling together no business talks just for once they were in the present enjoying the moment, the kids covered in frosting, and the sun setting over the ocean. We had stopped being a contract a long time ago. We were an empire built on love, laughter, and a obsessive amount of peanut butter.But at least I ain’t the peanut butter monster this time around thank God,how happy I would be if I could never ever see or smell peanut butter ever again in my life but I ain’t that lucky now am I my kids love it but I will never eat that much peanut butter voluntarily no way Jose,I would rather mop the sea with a bucket and a actual mop.I think with a tiny smile on my lips.But I this was killing me I am so tried I know I had a lot of help from Maria and my team but I like to be a hands on mom so I was up at six which is way too early for my liking but I reminded myself that I am a mom now and I want my kids to have fun and be happy and having my mother plan it was not gonna happen in my books just imagine my poor babies in stuffy outfits no way so here I was dreaming of just relaxing in my big tub with a glass of my favorite drink.
Julian
The silence of the house after the last guest left was the sweetest sound I’d heard all day. I loved my family, and I loved the chaos, but I lived for the moments when the world finally stopped demanding a piece of us.
I looked at Sienna. She looked radiant, but I could see the slight dip in her shoulders. She’d been the perfect hostess, the perfect mother, and the perfect woman all day. It was time for her to just be my Sienna.
"It’s okay, baby. I got it," I said, catching her hand as she reached for the diaper bag. "You’ve been on your feet since six. Go upstairs. Get in that tub I had installed for you—the one with the extra-deep jets. Go relax."
"Julian, I can help—"
"No," I said, giving her a look that brooked no argument—the same look I used in boardrooms, but softened with a love I didn't know I was capable of. "Go. That’s an order from your husband."
I watched her walk up the stairs, her hips swaying in a way that still made my heart hammer against my ribs. Once she was out of sight, I turned to the two nannies I’d hired months ago. Sienna had fought me on it, insisting she could do it all, but I knew my wife—she’d run herself ragged trying to be perfect.
"They’re nearly down," I told the nannies as they gathered the stray toys. "I’m taking over for the rest of the night. If the house starts to burn down, call me. Otherwise, I am officially off the clock."
They laughed, nodding as they headed toward their quarters. I spent the next thirty minutes in the nursery. It was the best part of my day. I tucked Noah in, watching him grip my thumb with a strength that reminded me of myself, and I kissed Jaylynn’s forehead, marveling at how she had her mother’s peaceful spirit when she slept.
When the nursery was finally quiet, I made my way to our master suite. I didn't even stop at the bed. I headed straight for the bathroom.
The room was filled with the scent of vanilla and steam. I stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching her. Sienna was leaning back in the massive marble tub, her eyes closed, her skin glowing under the candlelight. She was a vision—a masterpiece I would never, ever get tired of looking at.
I didn't wait for an invitation. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the warm water, the heat a welcome relief to my tired muscles.
"Julian?" she whispered, opening her eyes.
"I told you," I murmured, pulling her back against my chest so she was cradled between my legs. "I will always take care of you."She melted into my embrace we just cuddled like that for a while.
The water eventually grew cold, but we didn't notice. We moved from the tub to the bed, the intimacy between us no longer a frantic war for dominance, but a slow, passionate celebration of the fact that we belonged to each other. Every touch was a promise I made silently to my wife the only woman i planned on loving for the rest of my life, every kiss a vow I plan to keep until my last breath because a love like this I don't think I will have the chance to experience again
As the moonlight moved across the floor, I pulled her close, her head resting in the crook of my shoulder. I listened to the quiet sounds of the ocean outside and the steady breathing of my wife beside me.
I had built skyscrapers. I had conquered markets. I had millions in the bank. But as I closed my eyes, I realized none of that mattered.The only thing that mattered to me is the beautiful family that I have built with the only woman I will ever love.
So this is what true happiness feels like, I thoughts, It's sweet life taste like honey when you have found the love of your life I smiled to myself,"I know it will only get sweeter"I whisper into the darkness.
I was no longer the King of anything. I was just a man, finally at peace, finally home.Home sweet home.
- Writer
