In the evening, the newlyweds were alone. Noah was sleeping. Emily and Victor were sitting on the terrace looking at the stars.
“Are you happy?” Emily asked.
“What do you mean for having joined your life with a woman with a past like mine?”
“Emily, your past is what shows what a strong person you are. You did not break. You did not become bitter. You did not give up. On the contrary, you fought until the end. There are very few women like that.”
“And you are not afraid that I will discover something again,” she joked.
“I am terrified,” Victor replied seriously. “That is why I will always be honest with you. It would hurt me more to deceive you than anything else.”
They laughed.
In the year they had known each other, Victor had never given her a reason to doubt. He was an open book with no secrets, no double lives.
The trial of Ethan Ortega and their accompllices was widely covered by the media. They called it the case of the century and a victory for justice. Emily attended all the sessions as a victim and witness.
It was painful to see Ethan again, but it was necessary. That story had to be put to rest.