Chapter 15 - The Life They Chose
Ten years later, the autumn leaves were falling in golden spirals across Bleecker Street.
Inside apartment 3B—which had since been expanded and renovated to include a proper study, a larger kitchen, and a sunlit bedroom for a now fourteen-year-old Emma—the apartment was filled with the warm, chaotic melody of a real family.
Nathaniel sat at the reclaimed oak dining table, wearing a comfortable sweater, reviewing a textbook page alongside a young girl who was currently arguing passionately about modern geometry. He wasn't running a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund anymore; instead, he managed a boutique financial consultancy firm from a home office, choosing his clients carefully and leaving every afternoon by 4:00 PM sharp.
The front door clicked open.
Footsteps echoed down the hall, followed by the familiar, sweet scent of cinnamon pastries and autumn rain.
"Mom's home!" fourteen-year-old Emma yelled, dropping her backpack by the door—though it was no longer a faded unicorn bag, but a sleek school tote covered in art pins.
Rebecca walked into the kitchen, looking as radiant and grounded as the day Nathaniel first met her. She was now the head administrator of the community education center, a position she loved fiercely.
Nathaniel stood up from the table, walked over, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close against him. Rebecca smiled, leaning her head against his chest just as she had done in the quiet moments of their first winter together.
May you like
Emma rolled her eyes playfully, grabbing a pastry from the bag. "Ugh, you guys are still doing the romance novel thing after ten years?"
"Some investments, Emma," Nathaniel said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Rebecca's head as he looked down at his daughter with absolute, unreserved joy, "only get better with time."
