Five years after their divorce, the billionaire goes to the hospital to visit his mother and is shocked to see his ex-wife, whom he believed to be sterile, holding hands with a pair of twins identical to him...

Two weeks later, the storm had finally begun to pass.

Eleanor Vance had been arrested at her Bellevue estate on charges of wire fraud, embezzlement, and conspiracy. Given her age and her recent medical issues, her lawyers were currently negotiating a plea deal that would place her under permanent house arrest at a medical facility in California, far away from Seattle and the family she had tried to destroy.

The Vance board of directors, facing a massive public relations disaster, had begged Julian to return as CEO.

Instead, Julian had negotiated a complete restructuring. He sold his controlling interest in the company to a private green-tech consortium, retaining only his personal patents and a small, independent research division. He was no longer the billionaire CEO of Vance Industries; he was simply a very wealthy man with a quiet life and a family to build.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the blue sky finally breaking through the Seattle clouds, Julian stood on the deck of his new house.

He had bought a beautiful, historic Craftsman home on five acres of land in Bainbridge Island, overlooking the water. The house had a big yard for the boys to run in, a private dock, and no high-tech security cameras—only the quiet, peaceful rustle of the wind through the cedar trees.

Ethan and Leo were down by the water, throwing stones into the gentle waves, their laughter echoing up to the deck. Leo was wearing a light blue windbreaker, his face rosy, his breathing deep and clear. The superhero patch was doing its job.

Claire walked out onto the deck, carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. She had gained some weight, her skin glowing, her hair falling loose around her shoulders. She looked younger, her eyes free of the dark shadows of survival.

"They're getting muddy," she said, leaning against the wooden railing next to him.

"Let them," Julian smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Mud washes off."

She set the mugs down and turned to face him, her eyes searching his. "You really gave it all up, Julian. The company, the legacy, the Bellevue estate. You're not a billionaire anymore."

Julian looked out at his sons, then back at the woman he had loved since he was a boy. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. He opened it, revealing the simple, gold band they had used on their first wedding day—the one she had left on his nightstand five years ago.

"I have everything I ever wanted, Claire," he whispered, taking her hand and sliding the ring back onto her finger. "I was a billionaire with an empty house. Now, I'm just a man with a home. Will you marry me again?"

Claire looked at the ring, then up at his face, her lopsided, beautiful smile matching his.