Page 582

And for once⁠—

that didn’t scare me.

For years, I’d been somebody’s wife before I was anything else.

I’d worried about my marriage.

My husband.

Whether he wanted me.

Whether he was cheating.

Whether I was enough.

Whether we could fix what had already been broken long before I admitted it was broken.

I wasn’t doing that anymore.

Nothing about my life had ended up the way I thought it would.

But standing there in the middle of all that noise, I realized something.

I didn’t need to know what came next.

I didn’t need a husband.

Didn’t need a boyfriend.

Didn’t need somebody to choose me.

I just needed the freedom to choose for myself.

And finally⁠—

I had it.

EPILOGUE

SAMANTHA

TEN MONTHS LATER

“Happy birthday to you!”

Serenity stared at everybody around the dining room table like we had collectively lost our fucking minds.

“Happy birthday dear Serenity and Carter!”

Carter, on the other hand, was beating both hands against her high-chair tray like this was the best concert she’d ever attended.

“Happy birthday to you!”

Everybody cheered.

Carter screamed.

Serenity started crying.