Chapter forty-six
Lindsay
I'm sitting at the kitchen island with a notebook I bought because it had glitter on the cover.
Not because I needed it. Not because it was practical. Because it made me smile.
The page is mostly blank. A few crossed-out titles at the top.
I tap the pen against the paper, thinking.
Arthur watches from the other side of the room, pretending not to.
"What are you working on?" he asks eventually.
His tone is neutral. Curious. No agenda hiding underneath.
I tell him about my idea for a financial literacy class. A place for people who suddenly have money—or suddenly don't—and don't know the rules no one ever taught them.
Arthur listens.
When I finish, he nods once. "That's solid," he says. Then, carefully, he offers a suggestion. I write it down.
We start listing things together. What to teach. What matters.
I add a section calledYou're Not Stupid—This Is Just New. Arthur smiles at that.
"And," I say, tapping the pen again, "there should be a whole section about... worth. How money doesn't make you better. Or safer. Or more deserving."
He looks at me then. Like he understands exactly.
I close the notebook.
"Most of all," I say, quieter now, "I think I'd tell them this: the most important things in life are worth way more than money."
Arthur waits.
"Relationships," I finish. "People. Love."
Arthur reaches for my hand.
He glances at the clock. "We should probably start getting ready," he says. "Henry’s going to lose his mind if the grill isn’t lit on time."
“I still can’t believe he’s never had a backyard birthday barbecue before.”
And for the first time since the numbers were called—since the world tilted and never quite went back—I know something with absolute clarity: I didn't just win the lottery. I found my way home.
***
Our house is full.
Henry's friends spill through the kitchen, laughing over some inside joke I don't fully understand but enjoy anyway. Quinn and Steve bicker amiably by the grill.
My sister and her kids chase each other across the lawn.
Even my mother is here, talking to Arthur's head of security like they're old friends.
I stand on the back patio, watching it all unfold, when Arthur finds me. He slips his arm around my waist, pulling me close.
