Chapter 10 - The Sovereign Horizon
Ten years after the public divorce at Lake Forest.
The sun was setting over the sweeping, emerald-green hills of Lake Como, Italy.
On the grand marble terrace of the Ashford-Mercer private estate, silk curtains fluttered gently in the warm Mediterranean breeze. The scent of blooming lemon trees, fresh roses, and roasted herbs filled the air.
A long wooden dining table was set with fine white porcelain, silver cutlery, and crystal flutes filled with vintage Italian wine.
Around the table sat the people who mattered most.
My father, Nathaniel Ashford, now a contented grandfather enjoying his retirement, was sitting in an armchair near the gardens, laughing as he taught his three-year-old granddaughter, Sophia—my daughter with Julian—how to feed the golden koi fish in the fountain.
At the main table sat twelve-year-old Ethan, now a tall, handsome, top-ranking student at an elite academy, laughing loudly with Julian’s brothers as they discussed sailing routes across the Mediterranean.
Julian walked out onto the terrace, wearing a crisp white linen shirt and dark trousers, holding two glasses of sparkling prosecco.
He walked over to where I stood near the marble balustrade, overlooking the tranquil blue waters of the lake reflecting the golden sunset.
He wrapped his arm comfortably around my waist, pulling me back against his warm chest, kissing the side of my neck.
"What are you thinking about, my love?" Julian murmured softly into my hair.
I turned in his arms, resting my hands against his chest, looking into his warm hazel eyes—eyes that had given me ten years of absolute safety, devotion, and profound joy.
"I was thinking about the night I signed those divorce papers under the chandeliers," I said softly, a peaceful smile lighting up my face. "I thought my life was being torn apart in front of three hundred people."
Julian reached up, his fingers gently tucking a strand of dark hair behind my ear, his thumb brushing against my cheek with deep tenderness.
"And what do you know now, Claire?" he asked softly.
May you like
I looked back at the grand dining table—at my father laughing with my daughter, at Ethan smiling as Julian’s brothers cheered him on, and at the man holding me in his arms under the open, starlit Italian sky.
"I know that sometimes," I whispered, leaning up to press my lips against his in a sweet, eternal kiss, "an ending is just the universe clearing the path for the royalty you were always meant to be."
