Chapter 10 - The Master of My Fate
Two years later.
The sun was rising over the Pacific Coast near Cannon Beach, casting brilliant rays of gold and pink across the crashing ocean waves.
David and I stood hand in hand near the edge of the water, the cool foam washing over our bare feet. A small, elegant beach house sat on the cliff above us—a weekend getaway home David and I had purchased together, fully paid for with our combined savings and investments.
I looked down at my hand. On my ring finger, a simple, stunning emerald band caught the morning sunlight. We had been married three months prior in an intimate ceremony overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, surrounded by thirty of our closest friends and genuine loved ones.
My life was full. My mind was at peace. My heart was completely whole.
My phone, tucked inside my coat pocket, vibrated softly.
I pulled it out. It was an email notification from my estate attorney regarding a formal petition submitted by Melissa Miller’s legal counsel, requesting a reduction in her monthly court-ordered judgment payments due to financial hardship.
I looked at the screen for a moment, then slid the phone back into my pocket without opening the file.
Arthur Pendelton would handle it on Monday. He would enforce the law, protect my rights, and maintain the boundaries I had set in stone. I didn't need to spend a single second of my weekend worrying about people who belonged entirely to my past.
David wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin gently on my shoulder as we watched the gulls soar over the roaring waves.
"What are you thinking about, Mrs. Miller-Blake?" David asked softly, kissing my cheek.
I took a deep, full breath of the salty ocean air, feeling the solid ground beneath my feet and the warmth of the man standing beside me.
"I was just thinking about how long it takes to build something real," I said, turning in his arms to look up into his warm brown eyes. "And how easily people lose everything when they try to steal what isn't theirs."
"You built an empire out of your own hard work, Amanda," David said softly, smiling at me with profound love. "And nobody can ever take that away from you."
"No," I smiled, leaning up to press my lips gently against his. "Nobody ever will."
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As the ocean tide rolled in, painting the shore in shimmering light, I turned my face toward the rising sun. I was no longer the girl who stayed up late sweating over bills, nor was I the daughter who begged for a crumb of maternal love.
I was Amanda Blake—master of my home, owner of my life, and captain of my own unbroken soul.
