Twenty years after breaking the curse, Rhys and Liam did something extraordinary.
They established the Elara Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of obsessive relationships, stalking, and domestic abuse.
"We're naming it after her?" Liam had asked when Rhys first proposed the idea.
"She deserves to be remembered as more than Valerian's victim. She was kind, gentle, loved flowers and people. Her story should save others, not just be a tragedy."
The foundation offered free counseling, legal aid, safe housing, and educational resources about recognizing toxic relationships. Rhys donated all proceeds from his book. Liam provided pro bono legal services.
At the opening ceremony, Rhys gave a speech:
"Obsession masquerades as love. It quotes poetry, makes grand gestures, promises eternal devotion. But real love doesn't trap. Doesn't isolate. Doesn't make you afraid. Real love sets you free to be yourself, supports your growth, and stays because it chooses to—not because you're trapped."
He looked at Liam in the audience.
"Real love is patient. Kind. Warm. It's Sunday mornings and inside jokes and someone who believes you when you say you're hurting. It's not perfect. But it's safe. And that's worth more than all the passion in the world."
The crowd applauded. Survivors approached afterward, sharing their stories, thanking him for understanding.
One young woman, barely twenty, grabbed his hand. "I was in a relationship like that. He said he'd die without me. That I belonged to him. Your book helped me see it wasn't romantic—it was dangerous. I left. I'm alive because of you."
Rhys's eyes burned with tears. "You're alive because of your own strength. I just held up a mirror."
But he understood now: his suffering hadn't been meaningless. It had purpose. He'd broken a curse and then used that experience to help break others free of their own prisons.