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“Good,” I say. “I know you’ll do a great job.”

Kara glances at Ariel, then back to me. “Take the day.” She smiles. “Take your life.”

We leave the office together. Outside, the rain has gentled to a steady sheet.

In the car, we sit with our hands laced and the engine off.

“What happens now?” Ariel asks.

“Now,” I say, “we build the world we want.”

“And the lake?”

“We guard it,” I say. “Kara will rewrite contracts and vet partners. We’ll set up a citizen’s watch, fund independent testing, post the data for the public.” I tilt my head, watching her watch me. “And when your father looks up, he’ll see we’re not the enemy.”

She nods. A small smile that’s more relief than joy tucks into her mouth. “There might be a way,” she says. “To bridge the boundary. If the Council believes humans can be trusted to protect rather than destroy.”

“We’ll show them,” I say. “Every day.”

She leans across the console, curls a hand in my shirt, and kisses me, her tongue tangling with mine. When she pulls back, her eyes are as blue and bright as the shallow coves she came from. “I love you,” she murmurs. “I’m choosing you again. I’ll always choose you.”

“I love you. Always,” I say, because I’ll never get tired of telling her.

Outside, the storm breaks apart over Fable Forest, leaving the air washed clean.