A year later…
The morning sun spilled warmly across the garden where laughter echoed—soft, genuine, unburdened.
Amara sat on the porch swing, her white dress flowing in the breeze, her eyes alight with a happiness that had once felt impossible. In her arms, a baby boy cooed, his tiny fists waving as though he already knew he was loved beyond measure.
Adrian appeared from behind her, slipping his arms around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her hair. "He has your eyes," he murmured, gazing at the child with a smile that softened all his sharp edges.
"And your stubborn chin," Amara teased, brushing her fingers along the baby's cheek.
Adrian chuckled, but his voice grew quiet, reverent. "Sometimes I still can't believe this is real. That after everything—the storms, the scars—you're here. With me. That we built this life."
Amara turned her head, meeting his gaze. Her heart still fluttered as it had the first time he'd kissed her. "It's real, Adrian. More real than the pain, more real than the past. We chose love… and this—" she looked down at the baby between them, "—is our forever."
Adrian bent, capturing her lips in a kiss—soft, tender, filled with the same fire that had always burned between them.
When they broke apart, the baby gave a tiny giggle, as if sealing their promise.
Adrian smiled, his voice steady with conviction. "No matter what comes next, Amara… I'll spend every tomorrow proving one thing."
She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. "And what's that?"
"That love," he whispered, brushing his thumb across her cheek, "is always worth the fight."
The swing rocked gently as the three of them sat together—husband, wife, and child—bathed in sunlight, bound not just by vows or passion, but by a love that had endured and conquered.
Forever, and after.