Chapter 177 Epilogue

Chapter 177 Epilogue


One Year Later

“Catch me if you can!”

A tiny burst of laughter rang through the backyard.

I looked up from the patio, smiling as Kendrick toddled across the grass on unsteady legs, his dark curls bouncing wildly. Aaron chased after him, pretending to struggle.

“Oh no!” Aaron groaned dramatically. “He’s too fast!”

Kendrick shrieked with delight. “Dada! Dada!”

“That’s cheating,” Aaron complained, still lumbering behind him. “You can’t be this cute and this fast.”

I laughed softly. Some things never changed. Aaron was still wonderfully ridiculous, and Kendrick adored him completely.

A whole year.

It had been a year since Zara disappeared. A year since the kidnapping. A year since Aaron and I finally stopped running from each other.

Life wasn’t perfect.

But it was ours.

And that was more than enough.

I wrapped my hands around my warm mug and watched my boys. My boys. The thought still made my chest ache with quiet joy.

Aaron finally scooped Kendrick up and lifted him high into the air. The delighted scream that followed dissolved into shared laughter. “You’ve been arrested!” Aaron declared.

“No!” Kendrick protested, giggling.

“Yes!”

Aaron glanced over at me, eyes sparkling. “See what I have to deal with?”

I shook my head, grinning. “He’s definitely your son.”

Aaron gasped in mock betrayal. Kendrick pointed at me. “Mama!”

“See?” I said. “He agrees.”

A moment later, Aaron carried our son over and dropped into the chair beside me. Kendrick immediately reached for my hair, tangling his little fingers in it. I surrendered, as always.

Aaron leaned back with a contented sigh. The sun warmed our skin. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves. Peace settled over us—the kind I once believed I’d never find.

My phone buzzed. Edward.

I answered with a smile. “Hey.”

“Where is my favorite godson!”

I laughed. “So you don’t care about me anymore, just your godson.”

I could hear his grin. “Hello… I didn’t call to speak to you so put my baby on video.”

The moment Edward appeared on screen, Kendrick’s face lit up. “Uncle Ed!”

Edward laughed warmly. “There’s my guy.”

Life had moved forward. Edward had stayed exactly what he promised—family. One of the few who never wavered.

Mom arrived later, arms loaded with far too many gifts. 

“Mom,” I said, half-laughing.

“What? He’s one. He deserves everything.”

Aaron snorted. Mom ignored him completely—a tradition now.

I watched her kneel beside Kendrick, tenderness in every movement. A year ago, I wasn’t sure our family would survive. Now healing came slowly, day by day, in moments like this.

The afternoon filled with friends and family—laughter, music, easy conversations. Real, ordinary life. The kind I once thought belonged to other people.

Aaron slipped inside for a while. When he returned twenty minutes later, he looked unusually nervous. My stomach tightened. Aaron didn’t get nervous anymore. Not after everything we’d survived.

“Why do you look like that?” I asked.

Everyone suddenly became very interested in us. Edward grinned from his phone. Mom covered her mouth, eyes suspiciously bright.

My eyes narrowed. “What is happening?”

Aaron laughed nervously, then—to my complete shock—dropped to one knee.

The backyard erupted.

My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my God.”

The noise faded until all I could see was him. The man I fell in love with years ago. The man who broke my heart. The man who helped piece it back together.

His eyes shone with emotion. “So… I had this whole speech.”

A laugh escaped me. “You lost it, didn’t you?”

“Completely.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Aaron’s expression softened, humor giving way to raw honesty.

“Sarah.” His voice steadied. “I spent years loving you. When I shouldn’t have. When we were apart. When you hated me. When everything fell apart.” His voice cracked. “And I still love you now—more than I ever did.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop them.

“You are my best friend,” he continued. “You drive me crazy. You make me better.” He smiled—that smile that had always been mine. “Thank you for choosing me.”

He opened a small velvet box. The ring caught the sunlight, sparkling brilliantly.

“Will you marry me?”

The answer rose instantly, clear and certain.

“Yes.” I laughed through my tears. “Of course yes.”

The backyard exploded with cheers. Aaron stood and pulled me into his arms. I buried my face in his chest as applause and happy sobs surrounded us. Mom was crying openly. Edward cheered through the phone. Kendrick watched everything with wide, happy confusion.

Aaron pressed his forehead to mine, the world narrowing to just us. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I know.”

Then I kissed him.

Surrounded by laughter, family, and the life we had fought so hard to build, I realized something powerful.

Once, I thought loving Aaron was my greatest mistake.

I was wrong.

Losing him would have been.

Some love stories are messy. Painful. Complicated. They break you before they heal you.

But the right love?

The right love is worth every scar.

And after everything we survived…

We finally got our happy ending.

The End.