Chapter 195 Epilogue

Chapter 195 Epilogue
Mia’s POV

Two days after our wedding, there was one last secret between Liam and me, and I was finally ready to tell him.

We sat in the car outside Aunt Vivian’s estate as I told him everything. I explained how Vivian Vizondra had discovered that I was her niece, the only daughter of her sister, Amelia, and how I had finally learned the truth about the family I never knew.

Then I told him the part I had kept from almost everyone.

I was Aunt Vivian’s only heir.

For several seconds, Liam said nothing, and I nervously twisted my wedding ring around my finger.

“Aren’t you angry?”

His eyebrows drew together. “Why should I be?”

“Because I kept something this important from you.”

Liam took my hand. “You must have had your reasons, my love. You were still trying to understand everything yourself.”

Relief washed over me. “I should have told you sooner.”

“Maybe, but considering everything that was happening between us at the time, I think we had enough problems.”

I smiled, and his expression softened.

“I’m happy for you, Mia. You spent most of your life believing that part of your family was gone, and now you have someone from your mother’s side.”

“I have Aunt Vivian.”

“And apparently an inheritance.”

“Liam.”

Amusement entered his eyes. “I have to admit, being an heiress suits you.”

Heat rushed into my cheeks. “I knew you were going to tease me.”

He leaned closer. “You’re blushing, Mrs. Alcaraz.”

“I still haven’t decided whether I’m using that name.”

“You’ve been saying that for two days.”

“And I might keep saying it.”

His smile widened before he kissed me.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine. “No more secrets?”

“No more secrets.”

“Good. Then let’s go meet your aunt properly.”

I smiled as we got out of the car and walked toward the estate hand in hand. I didn’t want Aunt Vivian to remain a part of my life separate from Liam. She was my family, and he was my husband. Whatever relationship they built from that point forward, I wanted it to begin without secrets.

I expected Aunt Vivian to be waiting for us.

What I didn’t expect was to find Rafael and Lucinda sitting in her living room.

Liam stopped the moment he saw his parents, his hand tightening around mine.

“What are they doing here?”

Aunt Vivian rose. “I invited them.”

Liam looked at her, then at me.

“I didn’t know they would be here,” I quickly assured him.

His expression hardened. “I can’t do this.”

“Liam.”

“I’ll wait outside.”

He released my hand and walked out before either of his parents could stop him.

I watched him disappear through the doorway, torn between following him and finding out why his parents were there.

“Mia, please.”

Rafael’s voice stopped me.

“Vivian invited us. We didn’t know you and Liam were coming.”

I looked at Aunt Vivian, and she nodded.

“That’s true. They knew I hired you as my lawyer, and they came because they wanted to speak to you.”

Lucinda stood beside her husband. “Mia, we owe you an apology. We were wrong about you from the beginning.”

Rafael lowered his gaze. “I allowed my pride and obsession with the company to control decisions that were never mine to make. I used my health to manipulate my son, and in doing so, I hurt both of you. I know Liam may never forgive us, and I don’t blame him.”

Lucinda’s eyes filled with tears.

“We judged you without truly knowing you. We made you feel as though you weren’t worthy of Liam when we had no right to decide that.”

I drew a slow breath. “I won’t pretend what happened didn’t hurt.”

“We don’t expect you to,” Rafael said.

“But I forgive you.”

They both stared at me.

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life carrying anger over something I can’t change. Liam and I are married now. We’re happy, and that’s what I want to hold on to.”

Lucinda wiped beneath her eye. “Thank you.”

Rafael hesitated. “There is something else I wanted to ask. Alcaraz Global needs Liam.”

My expression changed.

“He was an excellent CEO. I know I have no right to ask anything of him after what I did, but perhaps someday you could convince him to come back.”

“I can’t promise you that. I love Liam, but I won’t make his decisions for him. If he wants to return someday, I’ll support him. If he never wants to return, I’ll support that too.”

Rafael slowly nodded. “I understand.”

They were preparing to leave when Aunt Vivian stopped them.

“Lucinda. Rafael. There is something you should know before you go.”

I knew immediately what she was about to say.

Aunt Vivian came to stand beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder.

“You judged Mia because you believed she came from nothing. You decided she wasn’t good enough for your son because she didn’t have the family name or social standing you considered appropriate.”

Neither of them spoke.

“Mia Villaruiz is my niece. She is the only daughter of my sister, Amelia, and she is my only heir.”

Silence filled the room.

Rafael stared at me while Lucinda’s face reddened with embarrassment.

“You’re Amelia’s daughter?” Rafael finally asked.

“Yes.”

“And Vivian’s heir?”

“My only heir,” Aunt Vivian answered.

Lucinda lowered her eyes. “We didn’t know.”

“That is precisely the point,” Aunt Vivian said calmly. “You shouldn’t have needed to know. Mia’s worth didn’t suddenly increase because you discovered who her mother was or what she will inherit someday. She is the same woman she was when you decided she wasn’t good enough for your son.”

Emotion tightened my throat as Aunt Vivian squeezed my shoulder.

“You’re fortunate Mia inherited her mother’s heart. Amelia was far more forgiving than I ever was. Because if you had treated me the way you treated my niece, I assure you, forgiveness would not have come nearly so easily.”

“Aunt Vivian,” I murmured.

She looked at me. “It’s true.”

Despite everything, a small smile touched my lips.

Lucinda looked at me again, her eyes wet. “We are deeply sorry, Mia.”

Rafael nodded. “For everything.”

“I know.”

After they left, I found Liam outside near the garden with his hands in his pockets.

“They’re gone.”

He turned to me.

“They apologized.”

His expression barely changed. “Good.”

“They also asked me to convince you to return to Alcaraz Global.”

That got his attention. “And what did you say?”

“I told them I would never make that decision for you. If you want to go back someday, I’ll support you. If you don’t, I’ll support that too.”

Something in his expression softened, and he pulled me into his arms.

“I married the right woman.”

I smiled against his chest. “The perfect bride, remember?”

He laughed softly and kissed the top of my head.

For the first time since Liam had returned to my life, there was nothing left between us that needed to be hidden. No secrets, unfinished promises, or anyone else deciding what our future should be.

Whatever came next belonged to us.

And a lot came next.

Aunt Vivian eventually revealed to the public that I was her niece and successor. Six months later, she stepped down and entrusted the company to me.

Becoming CEO terrified me. I knew the law, contracts, and negotiations, but running an entire company was different. Richard was disappointed to lose me at Vale & Associates, yet he was also one of the first people to tell me how proud he was.

Thankfully, I happened to be married to a man who knew a thing or two about running a company.

But Liam never tried to run mine for me. He advised me when I asked, challenged me when I doubted myself, and stood beside me until I learned to trust my own decisions.

Just as we had promised at our wedding, we built our future together.

And somehow, three years passed.

“Congratulations, Mia.”

I smiled at Anabel before her attention shifted to Liam.

“And congratulations to you too. You certainly didn’t waste much time, Mr. Alcaraz.”

My cheeks burned. “Anabel!”

Liam, of course, looked completely unashamed as laughter filled the room.

Josh had insisted on throwing a gender reveal party for our second child, and judging from the decorations scattered throughout our home, subtlety had never crossed his mind.

We were having a girl.

Liam had been overjoyed when we found out, just as he had been when our son, Lyle Bernard, was born a year after our wedding.

Lyle had changed our lives in more ways than I could have imagined. Somehow, becoming a father had also helped heal something in Liam.

I never pressured Liam to forgive his parents, but I encouraged him to give Rafael and Lucinda a chance to know their grandson. He finally invited them to Lyle’s first birthday.

Their reconciliation didn’t happen overnight. No dramatic embrace erased everything that had happened. It began with cautious conversations and occasional visits until, little by little, Liam allowed his parents back into his life.

Eventually, he chose to return to Alcaraz Global as CEO.

Not because his father asked him to or because I convinced him.

This time, it was his choice.

Life had moved forward for everyone else too. Daniel and Leah were engaged, while Seth had finally found someone who made him happy. Josh and Allen had eventually realized they were better apart, and Josh had since found love again. He and his new boyfriend had even adopted a puppy that Josh treated with the seriousness most people reserved for raising a child.

Our lives weren’t perfect, but they were full.

Later that night, after everyone had settled into the guest rooms, I stood near our bedroom windows, admiring the city glowing below while Lyle slept peacefully in the middle of our bed.

Liam’s arms slipped around me from behind, his hands settling over the gentle curve of my stomach.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Everything.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

I laughed and turned in his arms. “I’m just happy. Everyone came, they’re all staying tonight, and Lyle spent the entire day surrounded by people who love him. Our daughter will grow up surrounded by that same love.”

I covered his hand with mine. “Thank you for making this possible.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “I know how much family and friends mean to you. Somewhere along the way, I learned to appreciate having everyone around too.”

“Even Josh?”

Liam sighed. “Ask me again after I recover from his singing.”

I laughed. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Mia, I love you too much to lie to you.”

“Maybe next time you should sing. You have a beautiful voice.”

“I know.”

I raised an eyebrow at his confidence, and his mouth curved into a smile.

“But I reserve it for my wife.”

Even after three years of marriage, he could still make my heart race with only a few words. I suspected he always would.

“Thank you,” I whispered again.

“For what?”

“For this life.”

His expression softened as he glanced at our sleeping son before resting his hand over my stomach. “We made this life together, and we’re not finished yet.”

“Apparently not.”

He leaned down and kissed me.

“I love you, babe.”

“I love you too.”

“How much?”

I smiled against his lips. “More than you deserve.”

He laughed softly. “Then I’ll spend the rest of my life earning it.”

“That could take a while.”

“I have time.”

He kissed me again before carefully lifting me into his arms.

“Liam!”

“Quiet. You’ll wake Lyle.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re the one carrying a pregnant woman across the room.”

“My pregnant wife.”

As he carried me toward the bed, I remembered another version of us. Two teenagers who had once believed loving each other would be enough.

We had been wrong.

Back then, everything had seemed so simple. I loved him, and he loved me. I thought that should have been enough to survive anything life placed between us. Instead, fear, family, pride, and decisions we made for each other had slowly pulled us apart.

For eight years, I had wondered what our lives might have been if we had made different choices. There had been moments when I wished I could go back and change everything, but looking at Liam now, I realized I no longer wanted to.

Those years apart had hurt us, but they had also changed us. The boy who once believed protecting me meant deciding what was best for me had become a man who stood beside me and trusted me to choose for myself. And I was no longer the girl who believed loving him meant accepting every sacrifice in silence.

Maybe we had needed to lose each other before we could understand how to truly love each other.

Love alone hadn’t been enough. We had needed time, forgiveness, and the chance to grow into two people who finally understood that loving someone didn’t mean choosing for them, sacrificing everything without asking, or walking away because you thought you knew what was best.

Liam carefully laid me beside our sleeping son and joined us. Lyle stirred and rolled toward his father, and Liam instinctively wrapped an arm around him before reaching for me with his other hand.

I moved closer until our little boy slept safely between us.

Liam found my hand over Lyle, intertwining our fingers until our wedding rings touched.

For years, I had believed Liam Alcaraz was the greatest love I had lost.

But perhaps some love stories don’t end when two people lose each other. They survive the years, the mistakes, and the heartbreak until those two people are finally ready to find their way back to each other.

I looked at the man I had loved when I was young, the husband I had chosen when we found each other again, and the father holding our little boy while our daughter grew safely beneath my heart.

Once, Liam and I had been two people who loved each other but couldn’t find a way to stay together.

Now I knew better.

We hadn’t found our way back because fate had made things easy for us.

We had found our way back because when life finally gave us another chance, we chose not to waste it.

I tightened my fingers around his as Liam lifted my hand to his lips.

For so long, I had believed I was the girl the billionaire lost.

But that had never been the end of our story.

I was the woman he found again.

And this time, we both knew how precious a second chance could be.

\=====The End======

Author’s Note

To all my wonderful readers,

Thank you for staying with me throughout this journey, from Book One, Loving The Outcast Girl, to Book Two, The Girl the Billionaire Lost. It means so much that you followed Mia and Liam’s story from beginning to end.

Every like, read, view, comment, and addition to your library has meant more to me than you know. Your support also helped Loving The Outcast Girl become one of the winners of the When We Were Young: Young Adult Romance writing contest, an achievement I will always treasure.

I loved reading your reactions, whether you were cheering for Mia and Liam, frustrated with them, or simply enjoying their journey. And to my silent readers who stayed until the end, thank you just as much.

Mia and Liam’s story may be over, but I still have many more stories to share. I hope you’ll continue reading my new book and stay with me for the ones still to come.

Thank you for being part of this journey. I hope to see you again in my next story. ❤️

With love,
sirenbeauty