Chapter 44 Out Of The Ashes

Chapter 44 Out Of The Ashes
It was one month after the Vance Mansion burned down. The morning air at the farmhouse was cool and smelled of wet grass. I stood on the back porch and watched the sun rise over the green hills. It was beautiful, much better than the cold marble and dark shadows of the penthouse. For the first time in what feels like forever, I felt like I could breathe without looking over my shoulder.

Inside, I could hear the soft sounds of a waking house. Sarah was in the kitchen, humming while she set out breakfast plates. Then I heard the sound that always made my heart jump. Arthur wasawake. 

I walked back into the bedroom. Edward was already up, sitting on the edge of the bed with Arthur in his arms. He was making silly faces at the baby, and Arthur was giggling and grabbing at Edward’s finger. It was a sight I never thought I would see. The cold, powerful Edward Vance had become a loving father in a plain t-shirt andsweatpants. 

"He’s getting so big, Serena," Edward said. "I think he has youreyes." 
"And your stubbornness," I teased as I sat beside them. I leaned my head on Edward’s shoulder and watched Arthur. He was growing fast. His skin was healthy, and he was finally gaining weight. The farm air was good for all of us. 

"How are you feeling today?" Edward asked as he kissed my forehead. 
"Peaceful," I said. "It feels like a dream. No cameras, no guards at every door. Just us." 

Edward had not gone back to the city since we arrived. He ignored every business call and email. He spent his days fixing the old fences or walking with me through the garden. We talked about the future, about what school Arthur might go to, and about simple things like dinner. The trauma from the warehouse and the fire was still there, but it was fading. It was being replaced by the silence of the farm. 

"I think I might sell the Oaktown office, too," Edward said, looking out the window. "I don’t want to go back there. I want to build something here. Something honest." 
"I’d like that," I said, squeezing his hand. 

We spent the afternoon in the garden. I was teaching Edward how to plant tomatoes, and he was surprisingly bad at it for someone who could run a billion-dollar company. He got dirt on his face and kept digging the holes too shallow. 

"Edward, you’re a disaster," I laughed, wiping a smudge of soil from his cheek. 
"I’m a man of many talents, Serena. Farming is just not one of them," he said jokingly. He turned and kissed me on my forehead. We stood in the middle of the field, holding each other. The sun was warm on our backs, and for a moment, the world felt perfect. 

But the peace did not last. 

Just as we were heading inside for lunch, Edward’s personal phone vibrated in his pocket. Only a few people had that number. He had told everyone not to call unless it was an emergency. 

"It’s Commander Miller," he said, with a frown. 

I felt a familiar chill. My heart, which had been calm all morning, began to beat faster. Edward put the phone on speaker. 

"Edward, I’m sorry to bother you at the farm," Commander Miller’s voice came through the line. He sounded tense. 
"What is it, Miller? Is there news about the fire?" Edward asked. 
"The forensics team is still going through the ruins, but that’s not why I’m calling," the Commander said. He paused and took a deep breath. "We got a call from the bank. Someone just moved out a lot of money from the Vance private trust fund." 

Edward froze. His grip tightened around my arm. "That’s impossible. That account is locked. It needs a physical signature and fingerprint." 
"I know," Miller said. "But the bank’s system was accessed an hour ago. Someone used a master bypass code. According to the bank, only two people in the world have access to that level of the trust. Only two people know those codes." 

I looked at Edward. His face had gone pale, and his eyes showed shock and fear. 
"One is you, Edward," Miller continued quietly. "And the other is Lily." 

The silence that followed was heavy. The wind moved through the trees, but it no longer sounded peaceful. It sounded like a warning. 

"She’s dead, Miller," Edward said, as if trying to convince himself. "The house burned to the ground. There was no way out." 
"We didn’t find a body, Edward," Miller reminded him. "And someone just moved five million dollars out of that account; we traced it, and whoever is behind it is in the Bahamas." 

Edward ended the call without another word. He looked at me, and I saw the ghosts of the mansion return to his eyes. The farm, the sun, the quiet, all felt like a thin cover that had just been torn away. 

"Edward?" I whispered, my voice shaking. 

He did not answer. He turned and looked toward the long gravel driveway, as if expecting a black car to appear at any moment. 

She was gone. We saw the fire. We saw the house turn to ash. But as I looked at the worry on Edward’s face, I realized that some monsters do not go away so easily. 

"She’s still out there," Edward said, his voice sounding cold. 

I looked back at the house, where Arthur was sleeping safely inside. The storm was not over. What if Lily is still out there and she knows exactly where we are? The thought alone made me dizzy for a second; I was almost falling when Edward caught me. 

I thought I was escaping a life of lack and finally expecting true peace and abundance when I decided to sign that contract to be Edward’s wife, but instead, from the very first day, it has been one battle or another. We need to put an end to this once and for all.