“Please…” I say, giving him the full puppy-dog eyes, I know he can’t resist.
He sighs, already surrendering, and leans in to kiss my forehead. “All right… But only for a few minutes! And not all at once, I don’t want to give the nurses a heart attack.”
Remi’s voice carries that familiar mix of exasperation and affection as he disappears toward the door. I watch him go, my heart full, so full it almost hurts.
Despite the nausea, the pain, the bone-deep exhaustion, I feel something else, something stronger.
Gratitude.
Fierce, overwhelming gratitude for this life I almost lost… and for the people waiting just outside that door. People who care about me, truly care. Friends who showed up without being asked. Emma, Maude, Ben. And Remi. Always Remi.
I still don’t know if I’ll ever be able to give Maddie the benefit of the doubt, or whether I’ll find the strength to offer my father a second chance. But one thing, at least, is clear to me now: I finally have a family.
Emma, Maude, Ben, and our friends, they’ve walked into my life and made a home there. I know they’re here to stay. I feel it as surely as I feel my own heartbeat.
But above all, there’s a quiet, unshakable truth resting deep in my chest, solid and warm, like a lighthouse in the dark: the family Remi and I are building isn’t fleeting. It’s real. It’s enduring.
What ties us together defies logic. It’s as strange and beautiful as the quantum theory Remi holds so close to his heart.
From the very first moment our eyes met, we were no longer separate. We became two bodies bound by a force invisible and infinite, one that no distance, no circumstance, no universe could break. Just like the particles in Entanglement, what’s between us has no neat explanation.
We’ve only begun to trace the edges of the theory. But I believe, with everything I am, that we’ll find the proof.
And we’ll get there the only way we know how, hand in hand, eyes on the stars.
Entangled.
EPILOGUE
Two years later…
EMMA
Emotion rises in my throat, catching me off guard and stealing my breath. Sitting in the front row of this beautiful concert hall, I wait with my heart pounding as the red velvet curtain prepares to rise.
To my right, my lovely Ben sits tall and proud. I still can’t quite believe we’re getting married. His proposal came at just the right moment, just as Maude was ready to move out on her own, and I must admit, I’m already looking forward to becoming Mrs Freemantle.
To my left is my beautiful son, Remi. He looks more nervous than I’ve seen him in a long time, his leg bouncing ever so slightly. I reach for his hand and hold it gently in mine.
“Relax, darling,” I whisper, offering a soft smile. “There’s no need to get so worked up. Sebastian will be wonderful, just like always. Look around…” I sweep my gaze across the room. “Not a single empty seat. Your boyfriend is a star now, and you know it.”
“Yes, but,” he starts, though I already know exactly what he’s about to say.
“I know you still worry about him,” I murmur, giving his hand a squeeze. “And it’s sweet, you love him so much, of course, youwant to protect him. But he’s come so far, Remi. He hasn’t had a single panic attack in over a year. His therapist says he’s not even at risk anymore, not even under pressure. You’ve helped him get here… and he’s stronger than you think.”
He doesn’t reply, but I see the shift in his shoulders, the quiet relief, the love in his eyes.
“Come on, love,” I whisper. “Enjoy tonight. It’s only just beginning.”
I give him a little wink, and he offers a small smile in return, still clearly on edge, but just a little less tense.
And I get it. This night is special in more ways than one. My son has never exactly been the calm and collected type; that’s simply not who he is. He feels everything deeply, carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. And the only person who’s ever truly been able to anchor him… is Sebastian.
I will never stop being grateful that fate brought them together.
Since they met, I’ve watched Remi slowly come back to life. Piece by piece, he’s become the man he was always meant to be. And I believe, with all my heart, the same is true for Sebastian.
They’ve saved each other.
