The city was quiet that morning in a way I hadn't known it could be. The storm had passed.
Not just the rain, but the chaos, the manipulation, the carefully constructed illusions that had controlled Sienna's life for so long.
And as I stood beside her, I finally understood what "quiet" really meant.
Sienna was on the balcony, leaning lightly against the railing, eyes tracing the horizon where the neon glow met the soft blush of dawn.
She didn't speak at first, just observed. And I didn't interrupt her. I never did. Not when she needed to process. Not when she needed space to exist fully without the weight of the world pressing against her.
"Do you ever get used to it?" I asked softly, keeping my voice low. "The silence after everything?"
She didn't turn immediately. Her gaze stayed fixed on the city below. "I'm… not sure," she admitted, voice quiet. "It feels strange. Empty. But also… free."
I stepped closer, letting the distance between us shrink naturally. "Free is good,"
I said. "You deserve that. After everything… you deserve peace."
Her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. Not triumph, not pride, not relief just an acknowledgment that she was alive, fully herself, without shadows pressing in.
"Peace is something I never imagined for myself," she whispered. "But… maybe it's time."
I reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, letting my hand linger gently.
Her eyes finally found mine, steady, unguarded, for the first time in years. And in that gaze, I saw everything the storm, the fire, the precision, the pain but also the strength, the resilience, the unyielding brilliance of who she had become.
"I've watched you through every moment," I said softly, voice low but certain. "Every storm, every struggle, every shadow you navigated… and I've never doubted you for a second."
Her fingers intertwined with mine instinctively. "You never flinched," she said.
"Not once. Even when I was at my worst… even when I tried to shut everyone out… you stayed."
"I stayed," I said, letting my words settle, "because I believed in you. And because… I couldn't imagine being anywhere else but beside you.
Through the storm, through the calm, through everything."
She let out a small breath, leaning slightly into me. "It feels… unreal. That this is real. That we're real."
I smiled softly, brushing my thumb across the back of her hand. "It is real. And it will be, as long as we want it to be. Step by step, day by day. Nothing forced, nothing rushed. Just us."
For a long moment, we simply existed together, hands entwined, shoulders brushing, hearts steady in the quiet aftermath of chaos.
I watched her relax, finally allow herself to inhabit the space she had carved for herself. And I felt a profound sense of awe.
She had endured more than anyone should have to, yet here she was alive, unbroken, luminous in a way that had nothing to do with the world noticing, and everything to do with who she was at her core.
"I love you, Sienna," I said, voice low but unwavering. "I've loved you through every storm, every shadow, every fight. And I'll keep loving you. Always."
She tilted her head, eyes glistening faintly with emotion, not tears, not yet, just something soft and human. "I love you too, Cyrus," she whispered.
I pulled her closer, letting the simplicity of the moment fill the space between us.
There were no plans, no strategies, no battles. Just the quiet, the calm, the acknowledgment of everything we had survived and everything we could now build together.
We stood that way for a long while, the city waking slowly beneath us, unaware of the storms it had seen, and unaware of the quiet triumph of two people finally finding their place in the world.
"I never thought… after everything," she murmured, resting her head lightly against my shoulder, "that I'd feel… this."
"Neither did I," I admitted. "But here we are. And it's enough. More than enough."
I kissed the top of her head gently, letting the gesture carry every unspoken promise, every quiet devotion, every moment of unwavering trust.
And for the first time in years, I felt a kind of peace that wasn't fragile, that wasn't temporary it was solid, real, ours.
The world outside continued to turn, oblivious. Neon flickered, traffic hummed, distant sirens wove through the early morning air. But none of it mattered. Not now. Not anymore.
We had survived the storm. We had reclaimed what had been stolen. And now, for the first time, we could simply live. Together.
I tightened my hand around hers, feeling the pulse, the life, the certainty of our bond.
"Whatever comes next," I said softly, "we face it together. And nothing will break us."
She lifted her head, eyes shining, lips curved in a soft, genuine smile. "Together," she confirmed.
And in that single word, I felt the culmination of everything the storm, the battles, the chaos, the victory all distilled into this moment. Perfect, steady, unbreakable.
We stayed on the balcony, quiet, hand in hand, watching the city awaken beneath us. The storm was over. The Harts were gone from our lives. And we were free.
Finally free.
And I knew, without a shadow of doubt, that this Sienna, us, here, now was exactly where I was meant to be.
"Sienna" I called and she hummed.
"How about we finally do that marriage a real one this time?" I asked
She chuckled.
"Sure I can't wait to be Mrs Vale..."