Chapter 21
A month passed.
And for the first time in years, there was no breaking news, no paparazzi outside their door, no emergency meetings. Just days that came and went like soft waves—simple and unhurried.
Linsey returned to her work at the women’s shelter, this time as more than a volunteer. She sat in board meetings, organized fundraisers, and became a voice for women who had once felt invisible, just like she had.
The first time she spoke publicly at an event, she felt her hands shake—but when she looked into the crowd and saw Collin, standing at the back with the quietest smile, the nerves melted.
Afterward, he pulled her into his arms and whispered, “You were magnificent.”
She grinned. “You mean I didn’t ramble?”
“You rambled,” he said. “But beautifully.”
Meanwhile, Collin made a decision of his own.
He stepped down as CEO of Riley Group.
The announcement shocked the corporate world. A man who had fought his way to the top was now choosing to step away?
But when asked why, his answer was simple.
“I built my empire with my back turned to the world. Now I want to live with my arms open. It’s time to build something that matters more.”
He didn’t disappear, though. Instead, he quietly began launching a foundation—one dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, survivors of corporate exploitation, and victims of reputation destruction.
Linsey helped with the vision. He handled the structure.
Together, they were finally building something together.
But as peaceful as their new life felt, marriage was still marriage.
There were mornings when she’d wake up grumpy and quiet.
And evenings when he’d retreat into work mode without realizing it, locking himself in his office for hours.
There were disagreements over the color of the guest room, over whether to get a dog or wait, and once even over whose turn it was to take out the recycling.
But through it all—there was never silence.
They talked. Fought, sometimes. But always came back to each other.
One night, Linsey found him on the balcony, lost in thought.
She stepped beside him. “Penny for your thoughts?”
He glanced at her. “I still think about it.”
“The past?”
He nodded. “How close I came to losing you. How stupid I was. How long it took me to stop hiding.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “We both made mistakes. But look where we are.”
“I just want to be good enough for you,” he said quietly.
“You already are,” she replied. “You just have to believe it now.”
He kissed the top of her head and smiled. “Then I guess I’m the luckiest man alive.”
She chuckled. “You married a woman who talks in her sleep and burns toast. That doesn’t scream ‘lucky.’”
He turned to her with that familiar spark in his eyes. “I married the woman who saw me before I saw myself. That’s everything.”
And she knew he meant it.
No more running. No more proving.
Just living—loving—in the quiet, ordinary way that makes every day feel extraordinary.