Chapter 260

• The sunlight spilled into the boutique through the tall windows, catching the fabrics in a golden glow. I paused at the entrance, letting my eyes wander over every corner. The racks, the sketches, the small details everywhere whispered stories of persistence, of struggle, and of choices I had made and owned. Each corner carried a memory, each fold of fabric a reminder of who I had been and who I had become.
• Julian stood behind me, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder. He did not need to say anything. His presence alone reminded me that I had not walked this path alone. I breathed in the quiet of the morning, the ordinary noise of the city outside fading to nothing, and for the first time in years, I felt completely still.
• I moved slowly toward the counter, where Claudia had left a note earlier. She always knew the right words. You have done it. You have carried everything forward and made it yours. The words pressed gently against my chest. I had carried so much in my life—the shadows Alessia left behind, the doubts, the betrayals, the constant pressure of proving myself. Yet here, in the calm morning, none of it mattered. What mattered was that I had survived, and I had chosen me.