Chapter 153 153. Epilogue
Epilogue
Five Years Later
The line outside Strand Bookstore stretched around the block, a sea of readers clutching copies of "The Stalker's Prey" trilogy. Inside, Camila sat at a table piled high with hardcover editions, her hand moving steadily across title pages as she signed name after name.
"Thank you so much for coming," she said to a young woman who was openly crying. "I hope you loved Faleye and Perez' story."
"Are you kidding? I've read it six times. The prison scenes destroyed me." The woman clutched the signed book to her chest. "You're incredible."
Two hours in, Camila's wrist was starting to ache. Her publicist had warned her that signing events for the anniversary edition would be intense, but she hadn't expected this. The trilogy had sold over two million copies worldwide. Been translated into thirty-seven languages. Spawned a devoted fanbase that treated every word like scripture.
And she was exhausted.
Glancing at the clock, she calculated how much longer until the event ended. Another hour at least, based on the line still snaking through the store.
A new person stepped up to the table, but Camila's attention was on uncapping a fresh pen.
"Hi, welcome. Who should I make this out to?"
"To the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
Her head snapped up.
Golden eyes stared back at her, full of mischief. Dark hair slightly tousled. That devastating smile that still made her knees weak after all these years. And perched on his shoulders, dark curls bouncing as she waved, was their four-year-old daughter.
"Mama!" Teyana squealed, her little hands gripping her father's hair for balance.
Camila bit back a smile, recognizing the game immediately. She glanced down at the two rings on her left hand—engagement and wedding band—then back up at the stranger with golden eyes.
"I'm married," she said, holding up her hand to show the rings.
"I can see that." He leaned closer, his voice dropping. "Lucky man."
"Very lucky. Though he's late picking me up from my signing."
"Maybe he got held up. Traffic in the city is terrible." He shifted the little girl on his shoulders. "But if he doesn't show up, I'd be happy to take you to dinner."
"You're awfully forward for a stranger."
"I'm not a stranger. I'm a fan." He gestured to the book in his hand. "Read all three twice. The way their relationship turned around? The way Perez worships his wife? That's how a man should love a woman."
"Is that so?"
"Absolutely. I remember all the scenes specifically. Especially the ones where he reminds her she's his. Where he makes her say it out loud." His golden eyes darkened. "Where he makes her scream it."
"Sir—" Camila cleared her throat, very aware of the line listening. "There are children present."
"Mama, why is your face red?" Teyana asked innocently.
"Because this man is being sus."
"What is sus?"
"I'm just being honest and trying to take you on a date." He set a coffee cup on the table. "Vanilla latte. Extra vanilla, light foam. In case your husband forgot to bring you one."
Camila's fingers trembled as she reached for the cup. "How did you know my order?"
"Good guess." He smiled. "So about that dinner. You, me, candlelight. I promise to be a perfect gentleman."
"I told you, I'm married."
"And I'm asking you to leave him." He said it so seriously that several people in line gasped. "Run away with me. I'll give you everything. A villa in Rome. Babies with dark hair and golden eyes. A library full of books. Every fantasy you've ever written about."
"That's quite an offer for someone whose name I don't even know."
"It's Lucien." He extended his hand. "Lucien Hayes."
Camila stared at his hand, then back at his face, playing shocked. "Wait, like the character in my book three?"
"Exactly like the character in your book, minus some personality traits since I'm trying to steal a real wife."
"You're insane."
"Probably. But you're beautiful when you're flustered, and I'm not leaving until you agree to marry me."
"Daddy!" Teyana burst out, "you guys are married already!"
The entire bookstore erupted in laughter. Camila covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking. "You're impossible."
Lucien lifted Teyana off his shoulders and set her down, then walked around the table to pull Camila into his arms. "You love me anyway."
"Unfortunately." She looked up at him, eyes shining. "Though you still came late."
"Traffic was a nightmare. Also, someone insisted we stop for hot chocolate with extra marshmallows."
"Worth it!" Teyana announced, bouncing on her toes.
"Of course it was, baby." Camila stroked Teyana's cheek before focusing back on Lucien. "You planned that whole performance."
"I planned nothing. I simply showed up and asked the most beautiful author in New York if she was available." His hand drifted to her stomach, settling on the small bump hidden beneath her flowing dress. "Though I should probably mention I have a type. Gorgeous women who are pregnant with my children."
"Lucien—" Heat flooded her face as people in line started whispering. Her second pregnancy wasn't public yet.
"What? I'm simply stating facts." He leaned down, voice dropping. "You look incredible, by the way. I'm a bit jealous I wasn't the one that picked it out for you."
"There are literally a hundred people watching us right now."
"Then they get to see how a man properly worships his wife." He kissed her, slow and claiming, until someone in line wolf-whistled.
When they broke apart, Camila was breathless. "I still have an hour of signing left."
"I know. We'll wait." He settled into a chair beside her table, pulling Teyana onto his lap. "Go ahead. Make your readers happy. I'll just sit here and stare at you like the obsessed husband I am."
"You're ridiculous."
"You married me anyway."
"Worst decision of my life," she said, but she was smiling.
"Best decision of mine." He reached over to squeeze her hand, his thumb rubbing over her rings. "Every single day, Fiera. Best decision every single day."
When the last book was signed and the store finally emptied, her publicist pulled her aside.
"You did a good job, Camila. Plus, the chemistry between you two and little Teyana."
"He's good at making scenes."
"He's good at loving you." She glanced at Lucien, who was letting Teyana climb all over him like a jungle gym. "That's the real romance right there."
Outside, the October air was crisp and cool. Lucien shifted Tey to his hip, taking Camila's hand with his free one as they walked toward the car.
"Tired?"
"Exhausted and happy." She leaned into his side, breathing him in. "Really happy."
"Good. Because we have dinner plans."
"We do?"
"Maya and Rafael are bringing their twins. Damon's in town with Jules and their new baby. Silas and Seraphina insisted on cooking. Mama Cortez is making her famous empanadas as well."
"Omg, It's going to be complete chaos."
"The best kind." He opened the car door for her, helping her in before buckling Tey into her car seat.
The drive home was filled with Tey's chatter about her day at the park, how high she'd climbed on the jungle gym, how a boy named Jasper had gifted her some crayons.
"Crayons, huh?" Camila caught Lucien's eye in the rearview mirror. "That's pretty serious."
"That's what I said," Lucien replied. "But apparently the good colors mean true love."
"Daddy said when he met you, you dumped him in the kitchen and that's how he knew you were special."
"Daddy tells a lot of stories."
"All true stories," Lucien corrected. "Including the one where Mama went to prison and came out even fiercer than before."
"Mama went to prison?" Tey's eyes went wide. "Like a superhero?"
Camila twisted in her seat to look at her daughter. "Not exactly like a superhero, baby."
"Exactly like a superhero," Lucien countered. "Mama fought bad guys and won. Then she came home and married me and wrote books and had you. That's a superhero origin story if I've ever heard one."
"And now there's a baby in Mama's belly!" Tey added. "Daddy says it's a boy."
"Daddy is guessing."
"Daddy is right," Lucien said with absolute confidence. "It's a boy. I can feel it."
"That's not how biology works."
"Worked last time. I said we'd have a girl with my hair and your attitude, and look what happened." He reached over to squeeze Camila's thigh. "Trust me, Fiera. It's a boy."
At the penthouse, chaos was already in full swing. Maya and Rafael's twin boys were racing toy cars across the floor while Rafael tried unsuccessfully to stop them from crashing into furniture. Maya was photographing everything, her camera practically attached to her hand. Damon and Jules were on the couch with their three-month-old daughter, both looking exhausted. Silas and Seraphina were in the kitchen, bickering good-naturedly over seasoning. Mama Cortez was directing everyone like a general commanding troops.
"We're here!" Tey and Lucien announced simultaneously, Tey running straight for the twins.
Camila was immediately engulfed in hugs. Maya squealing about the success of Camila's second signing event. Rafael shaking his head at Lucien's theatrical entrance. Damon teasing about her being pregnant again.
"Leave her alone," Jules swatted Damon's arm while cradling their daughter. "She looks gorgeous."
"Thank you, Jules. At least someone appreciates me."
"I appreciate you," Lucien murmured in her ear as he passed, his hand grazing her lower back in a touch that promised more later.
Dinner was loud and messy and absolutely perfect. Tey insisted on sitting between her parents, stealing food from both plates. The twins kept making faces at each other until Rafael separated them. Maya took approximately seven hundred photos. Silas told the story of Camila's first book signing, when she'd been so nervous she'd almost thrown up. Seraphina cried happy tears about how far Camila had come.
"To Camila," Silas raised his glass. "Who survived hell and built heaven."
"To family," Rafael added, raising his own glass.
"To love that refuses to quit," Maya said, her voice thick with emotion.
"To my wife," Lucien finished, his golden eyes finding Camila's across the table. "Who gave me everything I didn't know I needed."
They clinked glasses, and Camila felt tears prick her eyes. Five years ago, she'd walked out of prison with nothing but notebooks and hope. Now she had a husband who looked at her like she hung the moon. A daughter who believed in superheroes and true love. A baby boy growing inside her. A family that chose her every single day.
Later, when everyone had gone home and Tey was asleep, Lucien found Camila standing on the balcony, looking out at their lit up garden.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his hands settling protectively on her growing bump.
"Hey, little man," he murmured to her belly. "Your mama had a big day today. Signed about five hundred books. Let some stranger hit on her in front of a crowd. The usual."
"Some stranger?" Camila leaned back against his chest. "You mean her handsome and sexy husband?"
"I meant what I said earlier." His lips found her neck. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Every single day, you get more beautiful."
"Even pregnant and exhausted?"
"Especially pregnant and exhausted." He turned her in his arms. "Do you remember what I told you that first morning after you got out? In bed, when I gave you those plans for the nursery?"
"You said you wanted everything. Marriage, babies, growing old in Rome."
"And we have it, Fiera. All of it." His hand cupped her face. "You gave me everything."
"You gave me everything," she corrected. "A life I didn't think I deserved. A family I didn't know I could have. Love that didn't quit even when I was at my worst."
"You were never at your worst. You were fighting and surviving. Becoming exactly who you were meant to be." He kissed her forehead. "And I get to love that person for the rest of my life. I'm the lucky one."
"We're both lucky."
"Extremely lucky." He scooped her up, carrying her toward their bedroom. "And I'm about to show you exactly how lucky we are."
"Lucien Hayes, I'm five months pregnant."
"And absolutely stunning. Now stop talking and let your husband worship you."
She let him carry her inside, to their bed where he kept every promise his eyes had made at the bookstore. Where he reminded her with his hands and mouth and body exactly why she'd agreed to marry him. Where they loved each other with the kind of passion that still surprised them both after five years.
And later, tangled together in the dark, his hand protective over their son and her ring finger bearing his claim, Camila thought about the girl who'd walked out of prison clutching notebooks and hope.
That girl would be proud of the woman she'd become.
That girl would be shocked by the happiness she'd found.
That girl would know that everything she'd survived had been worth it.
Because this life, this love, this family, was better than any ending she could have written.
This was real.
This was freedom.
This was home.
This was their happily ever after.
And it was perfect.