“So all of your paperwork, your statement, and your photos are being sent off for processing,” Officer Knight explains everything again, her deep chocolate eyes brimming with compassion.

“Does that mean I’m free to go?” I search her face anxiously, watching her thick lips pull up into a soft smile.

“It does. We’ve already gotten a hold of Mr. Wilcox. He’s agreed to come pick you up. Listen, before you go, I just want to tell you how sorry I am to hear what you’ve been through. I can’t imagine how difficult any of this must have been, and I want to thank you for how brave you are to help us prosecute the human traffickers who enslaved you.”

Sylvia’s and Raymond’s faces flash before my eyes. I can only imagine that it was them who called in the anonymous tip to try to have me deported. Who else would’ve done that? The only other person in this entire country who knew I was illegal was Jackson and he’d rather die than betray me. They must have thought I would be tossed out of the country, keeping their sinister secrets safe and their business running. Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to tell my story.

“Thank you.” I peer down at my hands. “I’m so grateful for all of your help to get the T-visa. I didn’t even know such a thing existed! I hope it goes through quickly.”

“Well, I can’t say for sure that you’ll get it, but I will say this, I’ve never seen such a compelling case for that visa. And, if you do get it, you’ll be permitted to stay in the country for four years. After three years, you’ll be eligible for a green card, so just cooperate with the police in this case to your fullest ability and I can’t see why you’d have a problem on your path to citizenship,” she explains.

I can’t hide the smile stretched across my face. It’s actually hurting my cheeks, that’s how big it is. I know it will take a few months to know for sure if I get the visa, but this is the first shred of hope I’ve had in years.

“I promise, I will. I’ll do whatever I can to help them.” I nod.

The sweet woman stands up and I follow her, practically gliding behind her as she walks me out to the waiting room.

Through the glass door I can see Jackson pacing, absolutely frantic. His hair is a mess, his eyes have deep circles beneath them. I’ve never seen him so worn down. Even now, when his body is so clearly in need of a good night’s rest, he’s unbelievably sexy.

I want to race into his arms and plant a million kisses over his face. However, I can’t do anything because Officer Knight holds out her hand to shake mine and I give it a squeeze.

“You take care of yourself out there.” She holds my hand in a long shake and rests her other hand on my shoulder. “And if you have any problems don’t be afraid to contact the police, remember? We’re here to help you.”

“I will.” I nod solemnly, looking straight into her dark eyes. She lets go of my hand and opens the door for me.

“Goodbye, Ella.” She smiles.

“Bye.” I don’t even turn my head back over my shoulder to utter the words. I just walk in tiny, rapid steps over to Jackson. I watch as he drags his fingers over his hair and down the back of his neck and then holds out his arms for me.

I leap into his embrace and he clutches me so tight it almost squeezes the wind from my lungs.

“I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.” His voice cracks and he kisses me tenderly. As he places me back down on my feet, he wipes tears from his cheeks.

Seeing him so choked up brings my own emotions bubbling back up to the surface. The tears I thought I was finished crying immediately spring back to my eyes, making the world look like it’s underwater.

“Come on.” He puts me back on my feet and wipes his thumbs under my eyes, swiping away my tears. “Let’s get you out of here.”

My hand tingles with warmth as Jackson tenderly grasps it and leads me out of the building into the crisp afternoon. The parking lot that I thought looked like a sinister graveyard of cars when I was brought here is somehow cheerful now. The bright colors of the vehicles compete for my attention with the flame-colored hues of the autumn leaves dangling from the trees above.

I scan the vehicles for Jackson’s car, but he doesn’t take me out to the lot, instead leads me down a path that guides us out to the sidewalk. “I hope you don’t mind a little walk. I left the car up the road by the park. I’ve been here for hours waiting and just needed to go clear my head. It’s not too far.”

“I don’t mind at all.” I cling onto his arm, giving his burly bicep a squeeze. “I’m happy going anywhere, as long as it’s with you.”

I soak in the beauty of nature, marveling at the spectacular pops of color among the mellow, warm tones in the leaves. I’ve lived in America for over six years now, and I’ve never truly had the chance to just enjoy a leisurely stroll and get lost in the magic of the season. As I listen to the crunch of fallen leaves under my feet and watch as a fluffy-tailed squirrel performs an acrobatic show above us, leaping fearlessly from branch to branch, I realize I’m the luckiest woman alive.

Jackson clears his throat, breaking the trance I was in. “So, I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this or not, but I was a Navy SEAL.” He chuckles dryly and I giggle.

Turning my head to him, my laughter immediately dries to dust and blows away on the wind.

He’s crying.

Not a single tear that can be flicked away and easily forgotten, but real tears flow like tiny rivers down his face. He wipes the back of his hand over each cheek, but he can’t keep them inside.

“What’s wrong?” I slow my pace and study his face, searching for a reason he’s so upset. We stop in our tracks, standing outside the large wrought iron gates leading into the park. Towering over each side of the gate are old oak trees, leaning toward each other like a giant arbor welcoming us.

“I need to tell you this.” He swallows hard and lets out a long, unsteady breath. “When I was a SEAL I learned a lot about life. I met guys who became blood to me. It felt like when you grow up with someone, you know? That lifelong bond you form with the boys you used to build tree forts with or play ball with, except with the SEALs that bond was instant. Our brotherhood was formed in moments of hardship and despair.”

I drop my hand from Jackson’s arm, twisting toward him so I can fully face him, so I can fully understand his words. “I understand.”

He nods slowly, trying to collect his scattered thoughts like someone trying to catch dandelion seeds across a field. I don’t care how long it takes him to find his words. I’m not going anywhere. There’s nothing more important to me than to hear what he has to say right now.

“The thing the SEALs taught me the most was that in a blink of an eye, everything can change. In an instant I saw men I was convinced were the strongest in our basic training course go ring the bell. I saw men who I thought were weak or scared become brave and strong. I saw men lose everything, lose their lives, just like that.” He snaps his fingers and I jump.

My chin quivers. I understand his pain clearly. Obviously, I’ve never been on a Special Forces team, but the day I lost my family forever, the day they were ruthlessly and senselessly murdered, it happened in an instant.

“Jackson, I’m so sorry for your loss.” I brush my fingers down his arms, but he holds up his hand, silencing me.

“The reason I’m telling you this is because the instant I met you, Ella, I knew there was something here. It turns out that those little moments, those seconds that change your life forever aren’t always bad. Sometimes a second is all it takes for everything to get better. Chloe came into my life when the pain felt like it was too much to bear anymore and changed it forever. And all it took was an instant to know that I was in love with you.”

Jackson reaches into his pocket and looks down at the ring I gave him. My mother’s wedding band. He sniffles. “You told me that someday I’d give this back to you again, and you were right.” He slides down on his knee and my hands flutter up over my open mouth. My eyes grow wide as I realize what he’s doing. “Ella, I know what this ring means to you and for you to have given it to me when you never knew if you’d see my face again, that meant the world. But now I’d like to give it back. I will get you another ring, but right now I can’t think of a better one to ask you: will you be my wife?”

“Yes!” I cry and hold out my trembling hand. Jackson slides the ring on my finger and my chest might burst open from happiness. Tears fall down my face and my knees grow wobbly as he stands back up and cups my chin, lifts my lips to his, and kisses me tenderly.

“I love you, Ella.” He looks deep into my eyes and I can feel the truth in his words.

“I love you too.” I smile up at him. A few bright leaves drift down lazily over us, like nature’s confetti and I disappear into the beauty of this man with whom I’ll spend the rest of my days. The beauty of this moment. The beauty of this life.