Chapter 20

Two weeks passed in a blur of legal meetings, auditor interviews, and relentless media scrutiny.

The independent audit of Zane Enterprises was thorough and exhausting, with auditors combing through years of financial records, interviewing staff, examining every transaction with microscopic detail. Christopher spent fourteen-hour days at the office, cooperating fully while trying to keep the company running smoothly despite the distraction.

I threw myself into the bookstore, finding solace in the familiar routine of helping customers and managing inventory. The media attention had finally started to die down, the reporters moving on to fresher scandals, though a few persistent ones still lingered outside occasionally.

Emily had started her new job and was thriving, her confidence growing with each passing day. She'd found a small apartment near mine, and Caleb was adjusting well to his new school. Thomas was awaiting trial, and Emily had filed for divorce. She was building a new life, free from his control.

At least something good had come from all this chaos.

It was a Thursday afternoon when Diana called with news.

"The audit is complete," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "Clean. Completely, utterly, definitively clean. Not even a minor bookkeeping error. Zane Enterprises' financial records are impeccable."

Relief flooded through me so intensely I had to sit down. "They found nothing?"

"Nothing. Because there was nothing to find. Victoria's accusations were completely baseless, exactly as we knew." Diana's tone turned satisfied. "We're releasing the audit results tomorrow morning, along with a statement from the independent auditing firm confirming their findings. Christopher is also filing the defamation lawsuit against Victoria. Her lawyers are going to have a very bad day."

After hanging up, I immediately called Christopher.

"I heard," he said, and I could hear the exhaustion mixed with relief in his voice. "It's over, Anastasia. We proved she was lying."

"Does this mean things can finally go back to normal?" I asked, hardly daring to hope.

"Eventually. The audit results will be big news, but people will move on. Victoria's credibility is destroyed." Christopher paused. "I'm coming home early. We should celebrate."

He arrived an hour later with champagne and Thai food from our favorite restaurant. We ate on the couch, both of us too tired for anything elaborate, but the relief was palpable.

"I can't believe it's actually over," I said, setting down my empty plate. "These past two weeks felt endless."

"I know." Christopher pulled me against his side, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. "But we made it. Together."

"What happens to Victoria now?" I asked, curious despite myself.

"My lawyers will pursue the defamation case. She'll likely settle out of court to avoid a trial, but either way, her reputation is ruined. Eleanor's already ensured she's been blacklisted from high society. No one will work with her or invite her to events." Christopher's expression was hard. "She brought this on herself."

I should have felt triumphant, but mostly I just felt tired. Victoria had tried to destroy us and failed, but the cost had been high. Weeks of stress, sleepless nights, constant anxiety about what new accusation might surface next.

"I never want to go through anything like that again," I said quietly.

"You won't have to. I promise." Christopher tilted my chin up, his blue eyes intense. "And Anastasia, I want you to know something. These past weeks, watching you handle everything thrown at you with such grace and strength—I've never been more certain that marrying you was the best decision I ever made."

My throat tightened with emotion. "Even with all the complications?"

"Especially with all the complications. You could have walked away a dozen times. You had every reason to. But you stayed. You fought beside me. You never doubted us, even when the whole world seemed to." He kissed my forehead gently. "That kind of loyalty, that kind of love—it's rare. And I'm never taking it for granted."

"I love you," I whispered. "Even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard."

"I love you too," Christopher murmured. "More than I knew I could love anyone."

The audit results were released Friday morning, and the response was immediate and overwhelming.

News outlets that had breathlessly reported Victoria's accusations now scrambled to cover the audit findings. Headlines like "Zane Enterprises Completely Cleared by Independent Audit" and "Victoria Ashford's Accusations Proven False" dominated the news cycle.

Social media erupted with reactions—some people apologizing for believing Victoria, others defending their skepticism, and a satisfying number calling for Victoria to be held accountable for her lies.

My phone buzzed constantly with messages of support from friends, customers, even strangers who felt compelled to apologize for doubting us.

Claire sent me a screenshot of Victoria's social media accounts. She'd gone completely silent, all her previous posts making accusations suddenly deleted.

"She's in damage control mode," Claire wrote. "Too little, too late."

Emily called during my lunch break, her voice bright with relief. "Ana, I just saw the news. I'm so happy for you and Christopher. You both deserve this vindication."

"Thank you, Em. How are things with you?"

"Good. Really good, actually. My boss praised my work yesterday, and Caleb loves his new school. I never thought leaving Thomas would lead to this, but I'm happier than I've been in years." Emily's voice softened. "You inspired me, you know. Watching you stand up to all that pressure, refuse to back down or apologize for choosing love—it made me realize I deserved the same courage."

After we hung up, I felt warmth spread through my chest. Maybe the past weeks hadn't been entirely terrible if they'd helped Emily find her strength.

That evening, Christopher had a surprise.

"Get dressed," he said when he came home. "Something nice. We're going out."

"Where?" I asked, already heading toward the bedroom.

"You'll see."

An hour later, we pulled up to Luminère, the exclusive French restaurant where Eleanor had taken me for lunch months ago. But this time, when we walked in, I noticed something different.

The entire restaurant was empty except for one table in the center, elegantly set for two, with candles and flowers and soft music playing.

"Christopher," I breathed. "Did you rent out the entire restaurant?"

"I wanted tonight to be special. Just us, no distractions, no cameras, no one watching." He led me to the table, pulling out my chair. "We've spent weeks dealing with chaos. Tonight, I want to celebrate what matters—us."

The dinner was exquisite, course after course of perfectly prepared food. But more than the food, I treasured the conversation. We talked about everything except Victoria and audits and scandals. We talked about our dreams for the future, about expanding the bookstore, about Christopher's ideas for new foundation initiatives, about maybe taking a real vacation somewhere tropical.

"I want to show you the world," Christopher said over dessert. "Paris, Tokyo, the Maldives, wherever you want to go. I want to give you experiences, memories, adventures."

"I just want time with you," I said honestly. "The location doesn't matter as much as having you there."

Christopher reached across the table, taking my hand. "I have something for you."

He pulled out a small velvet box, and my heart started racing.

"Before you panic, this isn't a proposal," he said with a small smile. "We're already married. But I realized I never gave you an engagement ring. Never asked you properly. Never gave you the romance and courtship you deserved."

He opened the box, revealing a stunning ring—a perfect emerald surrounded by diamonds, matching the necklace he'd given me to wear at the gala.

"This was also my mother's," Christopher said quietly. "She wanted me to give it to someone I truly loved, someone who would treasure it not for its value but for what it represented." He took the ring from the box, holding it carefully. "Anastasia, I can't go back and do things differently. I can't give you a traditional courtship or a romantic proposal. But I can promise you my future, every day of it, choosing you over everything else. Will you accept this ring as a symbol of that promise?"

Tears blurred my vision. "Christopher, of course I will."

He slipped the ring onto my finger, and it fit perfectly, like it had been made for me. I stared at it, this piece of his mother's legacy now adorning my hand, and felt the weight of what it meant.

Christopher loved me. Not the convenient wife, not the bookstore owner who'd agreed to an arrangement, but me. Anastasia. The woman who'd locked him out of his apartment and argued about money and insisted on maintaining her independence even while falling completely in love with him.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. "I'll treasure it. Always."

"Like I treasure you," Christopher said, his voice rough with emotion. "Always."

We finished dinner in a haze of happiness, the past weeks of stress finally fading into memory. As we left the restaurant, Christopher pulled me close, kissing me under the soft glow of the streetlights.

"No more hiding," he murmured against my lips. "No more secrets. Just us, building our life together."

"Just us," I agreed, kissing him again.

The ride home felt different from any we'd taken before. Lighter. More hopeful. Like we'd weathered the worst storm and come out the other side stronger.

When we walked into our apartment, I looked around at the space that had once felt cold and impersonal. Now it was filled with life—plants on the balcony, books on the shelves, photos of us together, evidence of our shared existence.

This was home. Not because of the expensive address or the luxury finishes, but because Christopher was here, and I was here, and together we'd created something real.

"What are you thinking?" Christopher asked, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"That I'm happy," I said simply. "Despite everything we've been through, or maybe because of it, I'm genuinely happy."

"So am I," Christopher said, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Marrying you was supposed to be a convenient arrangement to satisfy my grandmother. Instead, it became the best thing that ever happened to me."

I turned in his arms, looking up at him. "We've come a long way from you deleting me from your contacts because you forgot who I was."

Christopher winced. "Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"Absolutely not," I said, grinning. "That's a story we're telling our grandchildren."

"Grandchildren," Christopher repeated, something warm and wondering in his voice. "I like the sound of that."

"First we should probably survive being married for more than a few months," I pointed out.

"We already survived Victoria, media scandals, financial investigations, and your brother-in-law's arrest. I think we can handle anything at this point." Christopher's expression turned serious. "Anastasia, I know the past weeks were brutal. I know marrying me has made your life more complicated. But I need you to know—"

"Stop," I interrupted gently. "I don't regret anything. Yes, it's been hard. Yes, there have been moments I wanted to hide under a blanket and never come out. But Christopher, I'd do it all again. Because at the end of every terrible day, I got to come home to you. And that made everything else bearable."

Christopher's expression softened, and he kissed me deeply, pouring everything he couldn't say into that single gesture.

When we broke apart, he rested his forehead against mine. "I promise to spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret choosing me."

"I promise the same," I said. "Even when you burn dinner or work too late or forget to call because you're in meetings all day. I choose you, Christopher Zane. Every single day."

That night, as we lay in bed with the city lights painting patterns on the ceiling, I felt a peace I'd never known before. The audit had cleared Christopher's name, Victoria's credibility was destroyed, and most importantly, our love had survived every test thrown at it.

We'd started as strangers bound by a convenient arrangement.

We'd become partners who faced the world together.

And now, finally, we were simply two people in love, ready to build the future we'd both been too afraid to hope for.

The worst was behind us.

And the best was yet to come.