Chapter 117 Forever's Promise

• Rachel POV
• The diner was a beacon in the twilight, its neon sign buzzing faintly, casting a pink-and-blue glow over the cracked asphalt of the parking lot, a world away from the sterile opulence of Scarlett’s Beverly Hills mansion, from the cage that had held me captive, from the scar on my side that still throbbed with the memory of Celine’s bullet. Jeremy’s truck rumbled to a stop, its familiar creak a comfort, its leather seats warm beneath me, steeped in his cedar-and-musk scent, a reminder of Miami nights, of stolen moments by the pool, of a love that had survived blackmail, blood, and betrayal.
• I glanced at him, his profile sharp in the dim light, his dark hair tousled, his green eyes crinkling with a smile that sent warmth flooding through me, chasing away the chill of weeks spent apart, the lovesickness that had left me hollow, the weakness that had lingered since the gunshot wound that had nearly stolen me from him. For the first time in days, I felt alive, healthy, whole, my heart beating not just with survival but with joy, with him.