Chapter 10 - REBUILDING TRUST
The transition wasn't an overnight fairy tale. Healing took time. There were days when the trauma of the past reared its head—days when I panicked if Sebastian's phone went straight to voicemail, or days when the children asked hard questions about why they didn't have a grandma. But we navigated the landmines together.
Sebastian sold the massive, cold estate where we had once lived—the house where I had been locked out. Instead, he bought a beautiful, sprawling historic home in a quiet, leafy suburb of Chicago. It had a massive backyard with ancient oak trees, perfect for building treehouses, and a state-of-the-art chef's kitchen that he specifically designed for me.
Little Harvest Kitchen exploded in popularity after the gala. Not because of the scandal, but because Sebastian insisted on utilizing my company for every corporate event the Carter enterprise hosted. Once people tasted the food, the contracts flooded in. I had to hire twenty new staff members and open a second prep facility. I was no longer just surviving; I was thriving. And this time, Sebastian was my biggest cheerleader, standing proudly on the sidelines, changing diapers and doing school pickups so I could run my empire.
Fall turned into winter, blanketing Chicago in deep, magical snow.
It was Christmas Eve. The new house was decorated with thousands of twinkling lights. A massive pine tree stood in the living room, adorned with handmade ornaments the triplets had crafted at school.
Sebastian was sitting by the roaring fireplace, his pink-painted nails a permanent fixture, reading a story to Ethan, Sophie, and Lucas, who were all piled onto his lap in matching flannel pajamas. I stood in the doorway, holding two mugs of hot cocoa, watching them.
My heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. This was the life they tried to steal from me. This was the family they tried to destroy. And yet, here we were. Stronger, happier, and completely unbreakable.
"Alright, monsters, time for bed," Sebastian announced, closing the book to a chorus of groans. "Santa doesn't come if you're awake. You know the rules."
After wrangling them into their beds and surviving three separate demands for glasses of water, Sebastian and I finally retreated to the living room. The house was quiet, save for the crackle of the fire and the soft instrumental Christmas music playing in the background.
I handed him a mug of cocoa and curled up beside him on the sofa. He wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders, pulling me tightly against his side.
"They're asleep," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Finally."
"Don't sound so relieved," I teased, leaning into his warmth. "You're the one who bought them the drum set that's currently hidden in the garage. Tomorrow is going to be incredibly loud."
He chuckled, a deep, rich sound that vibrated against my side. "I want to give them the world, Hannah. I want to give you the world."
"You already did," I said softly, looking up at him. "We have everything we need right here."
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He set his mug down on the coffee table and shifted so he was fully facing me. The playful light in his eyes shifted into something deeper, something incredibly profound and serious. He reached into the pocket of his sweater.
My breath caught in my throat.
