Chapter 197 Chapter One-Hundred-Two: Time To Truly Live.
Chapter 197 Chapter One-Hundred-Two: Time To Truly Live.
Chapter One-Hundred-Two: Time To Truly Live.
The day Ileana walked out of the jailhouse; she felt as though her life had finally begun.
After so much pain—so much anguish, so many lies—it was finally behind her.
And this time… she had survived.
The weekend after her discharge from the hospital, Whitney, Rebecca, and Jonathan decided to surprise her.
“Sooo… how long do I have to wear this blindfold?”
Ileana joked from the back seat as they drove toward their destination.
“Just until we get there,”
Whitney replied, her voice warm with barely contained excitement. It had been so long since it was just the four of them. As she glanced at the people who meant everything to her, nostalgia settled in her chest.
“And no peeking!”
Jonathan added, eyes still on the road as Saturday afternoon traffic rolled by.
“Beck, don’t let her cheat!”
“Oh, don’t worry—nothing gets past me,”
Rebecca called back, earning a round of laughter.
By the time the car came to a stop, anticipation twisted in Ileana’s stomach like a swarm of butterflies.
Rebecca slipped out first and took Ileana’s hand, guiding her forward.
“Beck, you better not let me fall.”
“I won’t! Just keep your eyes closed.”
“They are!”
Ileana laughed.
More laughter followed as they finally came to a halt.
“Can I take it off now?”
Ileana asked.
Whitney lightly smacked her hand.
“Not yet!”
Ileana heard a door open as they led her inside. Then—everyone stopped.
“Okay… you ready?”
Whitney’s voice practically glowed with excitement.
“Jonathan’s going to take the blindfold off,”
Rebecca instructed, sounding like an eager parent watching their child open a present.
“But keep your eyes closed. When we count to three—open them.”
Jonathan slipped the blindfold into his pocket. All eyes were on Ileana, making sure she didn’t cheat.
“Okay, Ilie… ready?”
Jonathan asked.
Ileana bounced on her heels.
“Yes! I’m ready!”
“One… two… three!”
“SURPRISE!”
Her eyes opened—and her breath caught.
The townhouse stood before her, fully renovated, glowing with warmth and love.
“WELCOME HOME!”
The three of them cheered as Ileana slowly turned, taking everything in.
Every room told a story.
The walls were covered in photographs—snapshots of her life and the people who had walked beside her through it all. Their final high school field trip. Graduation. Jonathan’s party. The first time she showed them the townhouse. Their first cookout—every smile radiant and real.
There were photos from their flight and ferry ride to Damon. The welcome-home dinner. The festival. Marcus eating far too much food. Late-night hangouts. Exhausted smiles as they prepared for their first days of college.
In the kitchen and dining area, more memories lined the walls—pictures from their “Day of Friends” dinner, laughing around the fire pit, moments from the Imperial Gala with her friends, the Duke and Duchess… and Remy.
Tears filled Ileana’s eyes. She covered her mouth, turning slowly back to her friends.
“You guys—”
The words broke apart as a sob escaped her.
Before she could say more, Whitney, Rebecca, and Jonathan wrapped her in a tight embrace.
“I’m so glad you like it!”
Whitney squealed, emotion spilling over.
“We were all crying when we picked the pictures,”
Jonathan joked, though his voice cracked.
Rebecca held her close.
“Now you know. There are ‘so many’ people who love you. We love you. Thank you, Ilie… for giving us a chance—even when we didn’t deserve it.”
That was it.
Ileana’s sobs came freely now.
After a moment, Whitney suddenly perked up.
“Oh! Come on—we haven’t even shown you the lab yet!”
She grabbed Ileana’s hand and dragged her toward the basement, Jonathan and Rebecca close behind.
As Ileana entered the code and stepped inside, she immediately noticed the change.
The lab looked the same—clean, beautiful, expertly designed—but in the seating area, one thing stood out.
A large, framed photo of her grandfather.
Beneath it, the words:
To my little owl.
Her tears turned into laughter as she pulled her friends into another hug.
“I could travel a million lifetimes,”
she whispered,
“and I’d never meet anyone like the three of you.”
After the rest of the tour, Jonathan suddenly took her hands.
“Alright! Time for your ‘real’ surprise.”
“My real—what could possibly top this?”
Jonathan just winked.
They led her out to the backyard patio.
The doors opened—
“SURPRISE! WELCOME HOME, ILIE!”
Fireworks burst into the sky as every single person who had loved her, supported her, and helped shape her life stood before her.
Reginald and Joyce. Walter and Kelly. Edward and Joelle. Alex, Marcus, Joy, Jamie, and Jack.
Phoebe rushed forward first, tears streaming.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, boss!”
Ileana laughed through tears as she hugged her apprentice.
Professor Carmichael and his family were there too.
“A cure for Doxoten! You really are Wilbur Jr.!”
The Duke and Duchess stood nearby with Shantell, the Duchess personally thanking Ileana for everything she had done to bring down Wyatt and the Thornes.
Cornilious and Luna hugged her tightly.
“Don’t scare us like that again, little sis—Remy nearly went to an early grave—Ow!”
“Shut up!”
Luna laughed, hugging Ileana.
“You’re one badass woman.”
Aunt Vy was next, pulling her niece into a fierce embrace, tears spilling freely.
“Now you see? There are ‘so many’ people who love you here too.”
Carolyn and LuAnn followed, cheering as Victoria, David, and the kids stepped forward.
Tori and Nika ran straight into Ileana’s arms.
“We got on a plane, big cousin!”
Tori beamed.
“Yeah… it was pretty cool,”
Nika added, trying—and failing—to sound unimpressed.
Ileana laughed, seeing the excitement shining in his eyes.
“Little owl,”
Victoria warned with a grin,
“you get hurt again and I’ll flip all of Peoria upside down.”
Finally… Remy stepped forward.
He gently took her hands, and her breath caught.
“Are you happy?”
His voice was warm—so warm it sent heat racing down her spine.
“Very,”
she whispered.
“Thank you… for all of this.”
“I would do anything for you,”
he said softly.
“I love you.”
Her heart thundered.
He had shown her love in a thousand ways—but this was the first time he’d ever said it.
The words chimed in her chest like a wind chime caught in a perfect breeze.
Smiling, Ileana rose onto her toes and kissed him.
For a moment, nothing else existed.
When they parted, Remy rested his forehead against hers.
“I have something for you.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark blue velvet box.
Her breath hitched.
“Remy—”
“Shhh. Let me say this first.”
He raised his hand.
“May I have everyone’s attention?”
The backyard fell completely silent.
“I wanted to wait until everyone who mattered most was here. First—thank you, Aunt Vy. And thank you to the late Grandpa Wilbur.”
Vy wiped her eyes.
“Thank you for raising an incredible, intelligent, beautiful woman. For teaching her what it means to be loved—even when the family who birthed her failed to.”
Tears slid down Ileana’s cheeks.
“To Vicki, Callie, and Luie—thank you for being the sisters she needed.”
“To Whitney, Rebecca, and Jonathan—and your families—thank you for showing her there are good people in Peoria. And Jonathan… thanks for spending three weeks bragging about your best friend.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
“To Joy, Marcus, Jack, Jamie—thank you for loving her. For giving her a chance to show you who she truly is.”
“FOREVER!”
Joy shouted, voice breaking.
“To my best friend Neil—your nosiness saved my life. Because of you, I found the love of my life.”
Cornilious raised his glass, laughing.
“To the imperial family—thank you for showing her grace.”
“And to my parents—thank you for trusting me. And for loving the woman I love as your own daughter.”
“She is!”
they shouted together.
Finally, Remy turned back to Ileana.
“There’s something else you should know. Your grandfather saved my life.”
Her eyes widened.
“He did?”
Remy nodded.
“When I was a boy, I nearly died from a severe illness. He came to Peoria and saved me.”
Reginald and Joyce smiled softly, remembering.
“Afterward, I asked him to stay. He told incredible stories—but he refused. He said his granddaughter would never forgive him if he stayed.”
Ileana laughed through tears.
“He showed me your picture,”
Remy continued.
“A beautiful ten-year-old girl. I think I fell in love with you that day.”
Then he knelt.
The world went silent.
“Ileana… I love you in this life. I loved you in your past one. I’ll love you in the next. No matter where you go—I’ll always find you.”
He opened the box.
“Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Tears overflowed as the sun dipped low, painting the sky just as it had the day she found her grandfather again.
“Yes,”
she whispered, smiling through tears.
“I would love to.”
The crowd erupted as Remy slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her deeply.
At last, Ileana would live the life her grandfather had dreamed for her.
The life he prayed for.
The life she deserved.
THE END.