Despite knowing both would be sentenced for their crimes and would spend years paying for what they’d done to me, vengeance wasn’t entirely sweet. It felt as if they got off too easy. That evil had won in some small way.

At least, I had one small victory. Sean had been sentenced last week. Due to the multiple charges and heinous felonies he’d committed, he earned twenty years with no chance of parole.

Hopefully, in another few months, Larry would have a verdict, Arnold Twig would be sentenced, and my records would be expunged forever.

That would be the day Elle and I would agree to an interview by the press constantly hounding us for our tale. That day I would be vindicated, and I’d tell the world everything. Finally proud enough and untainted by lies to stand beside Elle, not as a thieving shadow on her empire, but as her equal.

I couldn’t wait.

All our loose ends were tying up neatly.

Greg finally went to trial, and Elle testified. However, our happiness meant she struggled to hold onto ill will, especially after seeing how changed Gio was. She hoped the same would happen to Greg.

She told the truth in court, the chains and cuffs that David had saved as evidence were revealed, the bank statements purchasing a second car, the diamond engagement ring he’d forced on her—every shred of premeditation Greg had done.

The jury oohed and aahed over her treatment. They glared at Greg and plotted his punishment even before the trial concluded.

Elle had full opportunity to push for a harsher sentence when the judge asked her what she wanted to see happen. However, she didn’t get nasty. She didn’t glower or beg for a harsh sentence.

She merely stated the facts and left—leaving the verdict up to the court.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later, after he was sentenced to eight years, two months—which I thought was exceedingly short—a large donation in Greg’s name appeared in my charity’s bank account.

That night, Elle told me about the deal she’d made with Greg to give him twenty million for my freedom.

She’d paid him, as she was loyal to her bargains.

But the more she became involved with projects around town and traded Belle Elle’s glitzy hallways for canvas tents and soup kitchens—helping those like me—she decided the bribery could be better used elsewhere.

Greg had done something unforgivable, and Elle took it into her own hands to make him redeemable. Fearing it would reflect badly on her character, she didn’t take it all. But she did transfer seventeen million from his name into the charity’s, leaving him with only three.

Only three.

It was a lot more than he fucking deserved.

The reporters noticed, as all charity donations had to be logged with the record service, and in the end, Elle’s final zing at Greg turned out to paint his misdemeanors in a better light.

Who knew? Maybe she set him on a righteous path. He was interviewed and written about as the most generous criminal in history—not an idiot who was greedy.

At least, his father, Steve, had peace of mind. His son wasn’t all bad. Belle Elle avoided more scandal about an attempted rapist who’d worked in their ranks for years. And I fell more in fucking love with the woman who was mine.

In a twist of fate, Sean was put into the same prison population as Greg and from rumors supplied to us thanks to Gio, Greg had earned his fair share of karma.

Unable to get to me, Sean took his frustration out on Greg. A broken arm and few other prison scuffles occurred. As much as I hated Sean for using me as his scape goat, I was kind of glad that Greg hadn’t gotten off completely scot-free.

He’d suffered some bodily pain for what he’d done to Elle.

It was fitting.

Our fake engagement turned real engagement was celebrated only by the special people we invited. We kept it small, understated, but the ring I bought her was anything but.

The diamond glittered with rubies on either side, perfectly elegant and locked on her finger for eternity.

Her sapphire star necklace was fixed from Gio ripping the chain off her neck, and it hung in our walk-in wardrobe like a talisman, reminding us to keep fighting, because sometimes, even the bad guys turned out to be the good ones.

Without Gio and Sean, I might never have heard Elle scream and never have ventured into the alley to save the day. She would’ve walked around New York and returned to her tower, never knowing I existed.

The tragedy of that never failed to steal my breath at the thought of growing old without her by my side.

Her apartment had become my apartment when we moved into together two days after I was freed from jail. With me not living in my building, builders were free to move in, tear out stairs, rip out kitchens, and blitz the entire building in one go rather than piece by piece.

It was finished two months before I’d hoped, ready for new low-income renters who needed a break.

Everything we’d endured and survived had finally given us the benefit of the doubt.

We’d been tested to see if we deserved the greatest gift of all.

And luckily, we’d been found worthy.

Elle was my happily ever after.

And I was hers.

And who knew? Maybe in the future, we’d give her father and Larry what they wanted and deliver a new Belle Elle heir or heiress.

But for now...she was mine. I was hers, and we were having far too much fun practicing.

Speaking of which.

Elle padded out of the bathroom with a towel on her head and another wrapped around her stunning body. Sage trotted by her heels as she always did when it was dinnertime.