Over the past two years, I’ve seen their love deepen, but I’ve also seen them grow, each in their own right. Stronger, braver, more whole. And considering how young they still are, I can only imagine the beautiful things the future holds for them.
Remi completed his PhD and became a full university lecturer, dividing his time between research and teaching. But after just a year, he shocked us all by making a bold decision: he left academia to teach physics in a secondary school.
He says too many kids grow up believing science is cold, rigid, even unapproachable, and he’s made it his mission to change that. To show them the wonder in it, the beauty. To help them fall in love with it the way he once did.
Sebastian, meanwhile, finished his studies at the conservatory and, after parting ways with his old agent, surprised everyone again by asking Anne to manage his career.
She may have lacked experience, but she had conviction, and together, they’ve carved out something remarkable. They’ve brought classical music to a wider, younger audience, keeping ticket prices affordable and mixing in modern pieces that speak to the world we live in now.
It was a risk, especially financially, but it paid off. Their success has been nothing short of extraordinary. And now that Sebastian’s finances are finally safe from past interference, he and Remi can live with a kind of peace they once only dreamed of.
They even bought a house together, an old, light-filled place near the canal in Maida Vale. A home that feels, in every sense, like theirs.
Tonight, the hall is filled with children, the concert is a fundraiser for the children’s hospital where Francis works, and the energy in the room is bright with laughter and curiosity.
Just before the lights dim, I catch Maude’s eye across the room and give her a small wave. She’s sitting with Anne, Ian, Jamie, Noah, and Francis, dressed in elegant blue, her blonde hair loose over her shoulders.
She belongs with them now. During those dark, harrowing days when we feared for Sebastian’s life, it was Maude who stood tall, calm, grounded, and somehow stronger than all of us. Since then, the others have embraced her completely, and she’s found her place among them.
Now, whenever Ben and I visit Remi and Seb in London, Maude is always with us. She never says it outright, but I know being included like that brings her joy.
Then the curtain rises. And there he is, my beloved Sebastian. The boy who loves my son, who has brought light back into hiseyes, and who is now part of our family in every way that truly matters.
He takes my breath away. Dressed in a flawless white silk suit, something that would look absurd on almost anyone else, but on him, it’s nothing short of divine. His long, dark hair is pulled back in a half-knot, and through the delicate fabric of his shirt, the faint outlines of his tattoos peek through. He looks like a dream made real.
I turn to Remi. He’s staring at Sebastian with an expression so full of awe and adoration it steals the breath from my lungs.
And in that moment, watching the two of them, I feel it again, that quiet, overwhelming certainty that love like theirs doesn’t just happen. It’s rare, it’s radiant, and it’s real.
Sebastian steps onto the stage with quiet grace, introduces the programme with his usual elegance, and takes a bow. Then he sits at the piano, and the magic begins.
Rossini. Mozart. Bernstein. Saint-Saëns.
One after the other, the pieces flow like water, seamless and natural, as if the music were being born from the air itself. The audience leans in, captivated. I’ve heard him perform many times before, and yet he still manages to leave me breathless.
When Sebastian plays, it’s not just music, it’s emotion made audible. Each note tells a story, and each pause carries weight. He doesn’t perform so much as offer himself, soul bared, through sound. It’s impossible not to be moved. Impossible not to fall a little bit in love with him.
As the final note fades like a whisper, the room erupts in thunderous applause. The ovation is not only for his talent, but for the generosity of spirit that pours from his fingertips.
Among those applauding is his father. Their relationship is still delicate, cautious, wounds take time to heal, but Sebastian has let him in, little by little.
Evan left his wife after the incident, walked away from the business, and started over. He now lives in London with a new partner, trying in his own quiet way to make amends. To build, however slowly, something honest with the son he failed to protect.
I glance over at Remi. His eyes glisten with love and pride, and before I even realize it, my own are brimming with tears.
We’ve come so far since we lost Atticus. The path we’ve walked since then has been long, painful, and reshaping us in ways we never imagined. None of us is quite who we might have been if that loss hadn’t torn through our lives… but somehow, we’ve found peace.
Maybe now, Atticus is no longer just the ache in our hearts but something gentler. A quiet presence. A light at our backs. Maybe he’s our guardian angel.
When Sebastian nearly died, I like to believe it was Atticus who shielded him, who wrapped him in invisible wings and whispered,not yet. The doctor couldn’t explain how Sebastian came through that fall without a single serious injury. But I’ve come to understand that sometimes, it’s the heart that offers us the only answers we truly need.
The audience rises, a wave of applause thundering through the hall, and they beg for an encore. Sebastian obliges, offering them one final piece. He sits once more at the piano and begins to playThe Heart Asks Pleasure First, by Michael Nyman.
I know exactly who it’s for.
It’s Remi’s favourite. He’s adored that piece ever since Sebastian introduced him toThe Piano, the film he cherishes most.
As the final note dissolves into silence, the audience, captivated, erupts into one last wave of thunderous applause. Sebastian rises, bows gracefully, and disappears behind the curtain.
