Chapter 200
Chapter 200
Yasmin finished reading and set the report on the table, then picked up the photograph Theodore had brought back.
Her reaction was the same as Theodore's—quiet.
"So, we've got nothing." She stated it like a fact, not a question.
"Right."
"This silhouette—do you recognize it?" Yasmin asked.
Theodore looked into her eyes and shook his head. "No."
Yasmin flipped the photo over. The back was blank.
She placed it back on top of the report, then looked at Theodore again. A small smile crossed her face. "Looks like we've got ourselves a 'friend' who really loves hide-and-seek."
Her tone was light. Not a trace of tension or suspicion.
Theodore watched her.
"Since they're so fond of lurking in the shadows, we'll play along."
Yasmin leaned back into the couch, hugging a throw pillow. "They sent this stuff to make us panic, to turn on each other. If we actually do that, we lose."
She tilted her head, looking at him. "Theodore, our life is good right now. I don't want to waste a single minute on some random person playing games."
Theodore didn't answer right away.
He just reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His fingertips were warm.
"Okay." Theodore finally spoke, his voice low. "We'll pretend it doesn't exist."
Life flowed on like a calm river. The stones thrown into it sank to the bottom without leaving a single ripple.
Yasmin's studio landed the V&A collaboration and gained recognition overnight, but she still clocked out on time every day to build blocks with Noah and check Sebastian's homework.
The Prescott Group's management restructuring went smoothly. Erik and his 'young guard' quickly found their footing, which gave Theodore more time to attend Sebastian's science club activities or, at Noah's insistent request, play a 'fire-breathing dragon' who needed rescuing by a princess.
A month later, it was Sebastian's birthday.
No grand party. No crowd of guests.
Yasmin and Theodore decided to keep it simple—just the four of them at home.
That evening, the living room was decorated with colorful paper chains Noah had drawn. Sebastian used his programming robot to trace out 'Happy Birthday' on the floor.
In the kitchen, Yasmin was arranging strawberries on a cake. Theodore wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as she placed the final strawberry in the center.
"Beautiful."
"Noah designed it," Yasmin said with a smile. She swiped a bit of frosting with her finger, turned around, and dabbed it on his nose before he could react.
Theodore blinked, caught the mischief in her eyes, and instead of getting annoyed, he leaned down and gently rubbed his frosting-dotted nose against hers.
Yasmin laughed at the ticklish sensation, pushing him away. "Go on, Noah and Sebastian are getting impatient."
When the candles were lit, Noah and Sebastian sat at the head of the dining table, their little faces glowing in the candlelight.
"Alright, you can make your wishes now."
Sebastian closed his eyes, his expression serious, muttering under his breath like he was calculating some formula.
Noah clasped his hands together and announced loudly, "I wish Mommy and Daddy stay this happy forever! And I want a flying pink unicorn as a pet!"
Sebastian opened his eyes and gave Noah a disapproving look. "If you say your wish out loud, it won't come true. That's basic metaphysical protocol. Also, according to biological and physical laws, unicorns don't exi—"
"Sebastian's a dummy!" Noah stuck out his tongue.
"Alright, alright," Yasmin laughed, cutting off the young scientist's lecture. "Blow out the candles."
Noah and Sebastian puffed out their cheeks and blew out the candles together.
"Daddy, Mommy, we love you!" Noah lunged forward, wrapping one arm around Yasmin's neck and the other around Theodore's, planting a greasy frosting kiss on each of their cheeks.
Theodore held Noah close, glancing at Yasmin being hugged by Sebastian. A completely relaxed smile spread across his face—one he didn't even realize was there.
He knew what he had to do.
Protect his family.
Forever.
---
Six months later, Jewelry & Fashion Week Anniversary.
No lavish gala. No media circus.
Just the backyard of their new home.
The autumn sky stretched high and clear, with a few clouds drifting lazily by.
The lawn was neatly trimmed, white roses in full bloom, their crisp, sweet fragrance hanging in the air.
Only their closest people were invited.
Sebastian and Noah's gifts were exactly what you'd expect from them.
Sebastian handed over a flash drive.
"This is a prototype of a private family cloud server I built. All data is physically isolated, with encryption algorithms I wrote myself. From now on, all our photos and files can be stored here. It's safer than any commercial cloud service." His explanation was brief and to the point.
Noah's gift was a framed piece—not a painting, but a montage made from fragments of old family photos.
From a distance, it showed a candid shot of Yasmin and Theodore at an awards ceremony.
Up close, every inch of light and shadow was a tiny piece of the past.
"Ten years. Three thousand six hundred and fifty days," Noah said. "I took it all apart and put it back together again."
Yasmin stared at the artwork, her eyes growing warm.
Theodore squeezed her hand, saying nothing, just rubbing his thumb over the ring on her finger.
The inside of that ring had long been worn smooth by body heat and time.
After the dinner, the guests left.
Noah and Sebastian tactfully retreated to their rooms.
The evening breeze turned cool. Theodore fetched a shawl and draped it over Yasmin's shoulders.
"Cold?"
"No."
They walked slowly along the garden path.
The moonlight stretched their shadows long, intertwining them until you couldn't tell one from the other.
"Do you remember when we first got married?" Yasmin suddenly asked. "The thing I looked forward to most every day was you coming home from work. The second I heard your car, I'd run to the foyer and pretend I just happened to be passing by."
Theodore's steps faltered.
All those little details he'd overlooked—she remembered every one.
"Later, the sound of your car became the thing I dreaded most," Yasmin said with a faint smile. "Because it meant another day had passed, and you still hadn't looked at me once."
Theodore's throat tightened. He turned to look at her.
In the moonlight, her profile was soft but carried a quiet certainty.
"And now?" he asked.
"Now?" Yasmin stopped and turned to face him, looking up. "Now I know that a car is just a car. Whether you come home or look at me doesn't matter. What matters is where I want to go and what kind of view I want to see."
She stood on her toes and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"And you'd better keep up."
Theodore cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.
Yes. He'd better keep up.
He'd only just learned, stumbling and fumbling, how to love someone.
And Yasmin had already walked so far down that road.
All the hurt and heartache had been worn down by the years, blurred beyond recognition.
What remained were these clumsy, yet utterly sincere, traces.
Theodore held her hand tightly.
Outside the window, the night deepened.
One era had ended. Another was just beginning.
And they would face every new sunrise together.
It felt strange. Miraculous, even.
Neither of them spoke.
Yasmin rested her head gently on his shoulder.
She didn't need his grand confessions anymore, didn't need him to lay his heart bare in repentance. They were both adults now. Time would prove everything. Actions would say everything.
Just like Theodore had recovered those forgotten moments for her, she was willing to walk the rest of the road with him.