“So fucking perfect, Serena.”
Afterward, we cuddled together, sweaty and breathless, with the sheets tangled around our legs.
He pressed soft kisses to my temple, my cheek, the corner of my mouth. “I’m never letting you go again.”
I smiled against his chest, tracing lazy patterns on his skin.
“Good. Because I’m not letting you go either.”
EPILOGUE
SERENA
The Dolby Theatre was a glittering sea of designer gowns and tuxedos, but all I could focus on was the presenter opening the envelope I hoped held my name.
“And the Oscar goes to…Serena Watts.”
“Holy crap, I won,” I whispered, the words barely audible over the roaring applause.
“I knew you would.” Hudson kissed my cheek and stood to offer me his hand to help me up.
“Way to go, Sis,” Avery cheered from my other side.
My walk to the stage was a blur of congratulations, and then I was holding the statuette.
I’d just won Best Actress forThe Unwritten Truth—the grieving journalist project that had changed everything.
The applause continued to thunder as I stepped up to the microphone, my heart hammering so hard I was sure the whole room could hear it. I looked out into the audience and immediately found the two people who mattered most.
Avery was eighteen and radiant in a sleek black gown, tears streaming down her face as she clapped harder than anyone. She was only months away from graduating from high school andheading off to college in the fall. My baby sister was all grown up, and tonight she looked so proud of me that it made my chest ache.
Hudson had taken the seat I just left, so he was right next to her, devastating in a custom black tux, his eyes locked on mine with that same devilish smile that had made me weak since the day we met.
The ring he’d slipped onto my finger sparkled under the lights—a vivid green diamond he’d chosen because it reminded him of my eyes.
I took a shaky breath and began.
“Thank you. To the Academy, to the incredible cast and crew ofThe Unwritten Truth, to my director who pushed me harder than I thought I could go. My agent. The producer who wanted me for the role that made the Best Actress award possible. I’m so grateful.”
I paused, smiling through tears.
“But there are two people I need to thank more than anyone else in this room.”
I looked straight at Avery.
“My little sister, my best friend, and my biggest cheerleader. You’ve been my reason for everything since the day you were born. You kept me grounded when fame tried to lift me too high, and you kept me fighting when things got hard. I love you more than words can say. This is for you too.”
Avery pressed a hand to her mouth, sobbing happily as the camera cut to her. The audience erupted in applause.
Then I locked gazes with Hudson.
“And to my fiancé…” The word sent a ripple of gasps through the crowd. I lifted my left hand, letting the vivid green diamond catch the spotlight. “Yes, Hudson Holt is officially off the market. He asked me to marry him just a few hours ago, and I said yes. He’s also the man who fought like hell to earnmy trust back and showed me every single day what it means to choose someone completely. Hudson, you gave me the safety to be vulnerable on screen and the love that made me believe I deserved all of this. I’m not sure which I’m happier to have gotten tonight—this giant rock you put on my finger so nobody will miss that I’m yours or the statuette I’ve always wanted.”
Laughter and more applause rolled through the theater. Hudson’s eyes were shining as he mouthed, “I love you.”
I smiled, my tears falling freely now.
“So thank you. To everyone who believed in this story, and to the two people who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. I love you both so much.”
