"It's done." I looked into her eyes with a certainty I'd never felt before. "Charges dropped. Accounts restored. Elizabeth will never bother you again."
Casey stared at the official stamps on the documents. Her hands shook violently. She looked up at me, voice breaking. "And... what about you? What did it cost you? I know she wouldn't let you go easily."
I took her hand and held it tight. "I just gave back what never belonged to me. Casey, I've cut ties with the Vincent Family completely. The man standing in front of you isn't some heir. Just a guy named Paul. A Paul who belongs only to you and Tommy."
Casey froze. She'd probably never imagined I'd give up that envied legacy for her. Tears spilled down her cheeks. But this time, not from fear. From trust. From being overwhelmed.
She threw herself into my arms, hands around my neck, sobbing. I held her tight.
"Paul, thank you... Thank you for choosing us."
"No. I should thank you." I kissed her hair, glancing inside at Tommy sleeping in the warm light. "You gave me a real home."
In the distance, waves beat against the shore in steady rhythm. I knew that starting tomorrow, we'd face new challenges. Without the family's protection, we'd be starting from scratch. But as long as Casey and Tommy were beside me, this was the right choice.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Casey
The day Paul came back from Boston, I thought we'd finally won.
We held each other tight, no grand promises, just standing by the window watching the waves roll in, hearts full of peace. I was naive enough to believe we could spend the rest of our lives on this gentle island, away from all the fighting and noise, growing old in quiet.
But I was too naive. Even though Paul walked away from the family fortune and status, the Vincent Family—a giant that had ruled Boston's upper circles for years—was never something you could just shake off.
A week later, in the afternoon, the hospital hallway reeked of disinfectant mixed with the faint ocean breeze from outside, but it couldn't mask the chaos and pressure. The nurses' station was packed, colleagues rushing between patient rooms.
I sat at a temporary work station, head down, organizing the morning's rounds. As I wrapped up, my mind wandered to plans after work. Pick up Tommy from preschool—he'd been begging for those cookies from the corner shop. Grab them on the way,then swing by the café for Paul's favorite iced coffee. He'd been at the bookstore all day; a cold coffee always helped him unwind.
Lost in these simple thoughts, I heard the sharp click of heels echoing down the hallway.
I stopped writing and looked up toward the sound, my gaze crashing straight into a pair of familiar blue eyes.
Diana Rossi.
My breath caught. She stood in the hallway, wearing an expensive white designer dress, golden hair perfectly styled and draped over her shoulders. I gripped my chart holder. Six years of humiliation came flooding back uncontrollably.
"Miss Rossi." I forced down the panic and rejection, keeping my voice steady. "What are you doing here?"
Diana didn't answer right away. Didn't even look at me. She walked into my small break room, eyes coolly scanning the worn wooden desk, simple chair, and the children's drawings on the wall—Tommy's, from when he'd visited me at work.
"Miss White. Six years, and you're still so... plain." She finally turned, looking down at me from head to toe, taking in my nurse's uniform, her contempt undisguised. "I thought someone Paul couldn't forget all these years would've improved somehow. But you haven't changed at all."
I took a deep breath. "If you're just here to critique my clothes and my job, you're done. This is a hospital. I have patients to care for. No time for small talk."
Diana stepped closer. "Casey, don't be so naive. You think Paul willingly gave up everything for you?"
"A man's momentary infatuation and the instinct for power carved into his bones—those are two different things. His roots are in the upper circles. Arranged marriages, power—that's his destiny."
"Nothing controls real love. Nothing measures it." I clenched my fists, refusing to show weakness.
Diana laughed bitterly, scorn deepening in her eyes. "You'll never be good enough for him. Not in another six years. He's willing to rough it with you now because he hasn't tasted real hardship yet. Wait until he realizes what used to be easy now requires scraping and bowing; what used to be within reach now demands everything he's got. Then he'll look at you with nothing but resentment. He'll hate you for trapping him, for making him lose everything he should've had."
"Shut up!" I squeezed the chart holder, voice shaking. "Paul isn't that shallow. He's sick of your cold calculations! We have Tommy. We have our own future. You'll never understand!"
"Tommy?" Diana sounded like she'd heard the most absurd joke. "You think having a kid secures your position? To the Vincent Family, that child's nothing but a bastard!"
She leaned in closer, breath warm against my ear, voice ice-cold. "Be smart. Name your price. Five hundred thousand, a million—take the kid and go back where you came from. Never show your face to Paul again. Otherwise, I'll make you lose everything."
