Page 87 of Fall onto me
Foster steps out to give us a moment alone.
Inside the mansion made of glass that cut me to pieces with each harbored secret, I stand with the father who never got the chance to raise me.
With every truth in life, there is a lie.
This mansion was my lie.
Wes is now my truth.
Like a story in a book, the page turns, and you move on.
I look forward to my next chapter.
No suspense, no mystery to solve, just a new life that’s ready for me to jump in. I don’t have to question if he wants me, if he will harm me, if I’ll be enough. The look on his face right now tells me everything I need to know. “I will never allow another bad thing to come to you, Skyler.”
In that moment, when my dad puts his arms around me and pulls me close, promising a lifetime of love in a single hug …
I believe him.
EPILOGUE
“Skyler Paine,” The announcer calls for me, and I shove my nerves away with a gulp before walking up the short set of stairs.
A long stage stretches out before me, and the moment I hear shouting, chanting, clapping… I know who’s behind it.
My dad -Wes- is standing, although you’re not supposed to, with his hands raised in the air, flailing like a mad man. Askena is beside him, shaking her head with a laugh.
They’ve been casually dating for the past few months, ever since she saved our lives. My dad looks at her like any woman should be looked at, with love.
My gaze pans across the sea of onyx caps and gowns, looking forhim. Foster is whistling, loud. His inked fingers rest on his lip to echo the sound. He looks so handsome, “That’s my fucking girl!” He shouts, before being reprimanded by one of the professors who sit at the edge of his row.
Beside dad and Askena, is my mom. Things have been rough, and it’s taken a lot to forgive and forget, but the truth about humanity is that we’re programmed to remember.
Each wrong and each right presented to us by those good and evil is etched into our core memories. It’s a way to protect us, to learn what will burn and what will soothe.
I wouldn’t want to forget what I’ve been through, even if I could. Life is about learning, and everything I’ve experienced has taught me that I am strong, capable, and worthy.
Mom has been in counseling, and while she didn’t receive Kent’s fortune due to the IRS seizing their property, they weren’t allowed to take her clothing.
Which means three walk-in closets stacked to the brim of designer clothing were hers to keep. She sold everything at auction, garnering a hefty sum to place in her savings. But that wasn’t the half of it.
A couple of months ago, while she was getting her finances in order, she found a few offshore bank accounts that Kent set up in her name, with it being overseas, the government couldn’t take a cent of it.
She attempted to give me half, but I declined. I didn’t need it with my trust fund coming in, which I receive today. College graduation were the terms that my parents gave me long ago, and now Foster and I get to start our lives with a million dollars sitting in our savings.
Mom and Grace are living together, in the house they grew up in.
Speaking of my aunt, she’s on stage waiting for me.
I take in a deep breath and walk, shaking the hands with my professors, Grace, and others before collecting my diploma from the dean.
I never thought I would be here. Alive, happy, successful. It’s everything I’ve ever wished for. I want a simple life, with calm mornings and exciting nights.
But those days… those days. I want them filled with a tranquil calm, Foster by my side, and the ocean at our backs. Never again will we be at the mercy of anyone else.
I make my way back to my seat, waiting impatiently for my friends to be called. If I wouldn’t have changed my last name to match Wes’s, I would be going with Foster.
Kate, Callum, Ryder and Brett were already called. I cheered for them, laughing when Kate threw her hand up once she had her diploma in hand.