Cliffhanger: As we stepped out of the office, we ran into Evan and his lawyer. Evan looked at our joined hands, his face contorting into a mask of pure, unadulterated shock. He didn’t know yet that the fraud investigation had just been finalized.
Chapter 8: The Apple Orchard
The criminal proceedings against Evan and Nicole were brief and devastating. Nicole broke under questioning, admitting the entire plan was Evan’s idea in exchange for a portion of the condo sale. Evan lost everything—his reputation, his job, and eventually, he settled for a measly 20% of the condo’s value just to stay out of a prison cell.
He ended up in a boarding house on the outskirts of town. I felt no triumph when I heard. I simply felt… finished.
Mark and I bought a house in the spring. An old, solid mansion with a garden that had been neglected for too long. We spent the weekends fixing the fences and planting lilacs. I went back to school, greeted by a roar of joy from Ben, Paige, and Dany that nearly knocked me off my feet.
The real shift, however, came in April.
I stood in the bathroom, holding a plastic stick with two pink lines. My heart was a frantic, winged thing in my chest. Herrera had said it was possible, but I hadn’t dared to hope.
I walked into the living room where Mark was reading. I didn’t say anything. I just handed him the stick.
He sat down on the sofa, his legs giving way. He stared at the lines for a long, silent minute. Then, he pulled me into a hug so fierce I could feel the thrum of his heart against mine.
“Is it real?” he whispered.
“It’s real,” I said.
