Rachel entered the nursery holding an envelope.
“No return address.”
My pulse slowed instantly.
I opened it carefully.
Inside sat a photograph.
A beach somewhere tropical.
Blue water.
Palm trees.
And standing in the distance—
Matthew.
Alive.
Older somehow.
Bearded.
Wearing simple clothes instead of tailored suits.
But unmistakably him.
On the back of the photograph were six handwritten words.
For once, we’re finally free.
Rachel stared over my shoulder.
“That man is literally impossible to kill.”
I laughed softly.
Then unexpectedly…
I cried.
Not because I wanted him back.
I didn’t.
Too much damage lived between us forever.
Too many graves.
Too many lies.
But because despite everything…
A small part of me was relieved he survived.
Maybe redemption wasn’t impossible after all.
Maybe broken people could still choose one decent thing before the end.
Ethan stirred softly in my arms.
I kissed his forehead.
And outside, Manhattan glittered beneath fresh snow.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Alive.
Just like us.
For the first time in years, I wasn’t afraid of the future.
Because revenge had started this story.
But survival finished it.
And somewhere far away beneath another sky…
Matthew Bennett was finally learning how to live without lies.
While I learned something even harder.
How to live without hatred.
