Later, back at the estate, the fog finally began to lift. The sea was visible again, restless but honest. Maxwell stood in his office, closing the safe with his own hands. Tessa lingered nearby, unsure if she was dismissed or welcomed.
“You could leave now,” Maxwell said gently. “I would understand. You never asked for any of this.”
Tessa inhaled. “I would like to stay. Not as a maid. Not in the shadows. I would like to help you rebuild what he tried to break.”
Maxwell nodded. “I would like that too.”
Maribel appeared in the doorway, leaning on her cane, watching them with a faint smile. “The Grayson name has survived storms before. It will survive this one as well. Especially if we weather it together.”
Maxwell looked at Tessa, at his mother, at the estate he nearly lost, and felt the ground steady beneath him at last. Outside, the ocean roared, not with warning, but with promise. For the first time in a long time, the future felt possible.
