Chapter 15 — Marriage & Career
Arin's apartment smelled of coffee, polished wood, and new beginnings.
Meira moved around the kitchen, humming softly as she prepared breakfast.
"You've been at work since six," she said, setting a cup of coffee beside him.
"I like starting early," he replied, glancing over his laptop. "Deadlines won't wait, and neither will progress."
She leaned against the counter, watching him with a small smile.
"You always have to be so… precise."
"I had to learn," he said quietly, not meeting her eyes.
"Life doesn't give second chances. Not in the way I got them."
They married quietly, deliberately, two people who understood the importance of patience and space.
Arin's career thrived. A tech consultant by day, a strategist by night.
He built companies, advised startups, and climbed quietly to success.
No flashy displays, no unnecessary attention. Just results.
And Meira? She was always there—supportive, grounding, gentle, never overstepping.
At night, when the city lights flickered outside their window, they would sit together, hands intertwined, watching the world move without them.
"Do you ever think about the past?" she asked softly.
"Sometimes," he admitted. "But it doesn't control me anymore."
And for the first time in a long time, he believed it.
He had a life he chose.
A love he nurtured.
A future he built.
And nothing—no guilt, no shadow, no memory—would take it away from him.