Chapter 19 – Full Circle
A year later, their loft looked nothing like it once had.
Gone were the perfectly arranged sketches and the minimalist shelves. Now, the walls were decorated with crayon masterpieces, the floor littered with building blocks and stuffed animals. The soft hum of lullabies had replaced the quiet jazz they used to sip wine to.
But somehow, it all made sense.
Elena sat on the rug, Isla in her lap, while Marcus adjusted a tiny party hat on their daughter's head.
"She's going to pull it off in two seconds," Elena warned.
"I need *one* good photo," Marcus grinned, phone ready.
The first birthday was small—just close friends and family. Balloons. Cupcakes. Laughter. Her parents, once skeptical of Marcus, now doted on Isla like she was royalty. His sister finally admitted the string trio at their wedding was a good choice.
But amid the joy, something deeper stirred.
After the party, with Isla asleep and the apartment finally quiet, Marcus pulled a dusty sketchbook off a shelf.
"What's that?" Elena asked.
He opened to the first page. It was old—early drawings of her face, their old loft, even the rooftop where he proposed.
"I started this the day after we met," he said. "Thought I was just documenting a moment. Didn't realize I was sketching the start of everything."
Elena flipped through, eyes softening as she saw their life unfold in pencil lines—moments that would've been forgotten if not captured here.
At the back, Marcus had added a final page.
It showed Isla, holding both their hands, walking forward.
Beneath it, he'd written:
*"The story goes on."*
Elena closed the book and leaned into him. "We've come a long way."
Marcus kissed the top of her head. "And we're just getting started."
Outside, the city glowed beneath the stars. Inside, the laughter had quieted, but the love only deepened.
The girl at the art gallery.
The architect with ink-stained fingers.
The child with eyes that held both of them.
It had all come full circle.