Chapter Five: The Life We Choose
The world had finally gone quiet.
Alina woke up to birds chirping outside the window, not the sound of buzzing phones or breaking news. The lawsuit was over. Jay had disappeared from the headlines. And for the first time in a long time, she felt light.
She made tea and opened her window to let the morning air in.
Today wasn't about fixing a crisis or planning a press statement.
It was about choosing what came next.
Later that morning, Liam arrived with a backpack and a wide smile.
"I have a surprise," he said.
Alina raised a brow. "Does it involve paint?"
"Nope. But it does involve trees."
An hour later, they were driving down a winding road just outside the city. The sun danced through the trees as they passed fields, quiet lakes, and finally arrived at a small cabin tucked behind a hill.
Liam parked and turned to her.
"This place belongs to a friend. He's letting us use it for the weekend."
Alina looked at the cabin—simple wood, a swing out front, and a hammock tied between two trees.
"You remembered my drawing," she said softly.
"Of course I did."
Inside, it smelled like cedar and clean linen. There was no TV. No phone signal. Just peace.
They cooked pasta together that night, danced to music from Liam's phone, and talked about everything—their fears, their hopes, their pasts.
"I used to think love had to be grand," Alina said, sitting by the fire. "Diamonds, big gestures. People chasing each other in the rain."
Liam chuckled. "And now?"
"Now I think love is this."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Safe. Simple. Honest."
They watched the flames for a long time.
Then Liam reached into his bag and pulled out a canvas. It was wrapped in brown paper.
"I made this," he said. "For you."
Alina unwrapped it carefully.
Her eyes widened.
It was a painting of her.
But not as a CEO. Not in heels or behind a desk.
She was barefoot, sitting under a tree with a book in her lap, smiling as if she didn't have a care in the world. Her hair was down. Her eyes soft. She looked… free.
"I wanted to show you how I see you," he said quietly.
Alina blinked back tears.
"No one's ever painted me like this before."
"Then they weren't looking closely enough."
She set the painting down, stood, and took his hands.
"Liam," she said, "I love you."
His smile broke slowly, like dawn over the trees.
"I love you too."
They kissed—not rushed, not fiery, just real.
The kind that says: I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere.
When they returned to the city, everything felt different. Not louder—just less important. Alina returned to RivTech with a new vision. She gave more control to her trusted team and started a program at the community center with Liam: art and tech combined to help underprivileged kids learn and grow.
Liam started selling more paintings. But he never left the small studio behind the center. "It's where the magic happens," he said.
They moved into a small house just outside the city. Not too big. Not too flashy. Just enough. It had a garden, a tree in the back, and yes, a swing.
Jay's name eventually disappeared from the media. He tried once more to reach out—an email this time. Alina never replied.
Some doors, once shut, are better left closed.
Claire, ever loyal, continued to run the company's frontlines with skill and sass. She was the first to visit the new house, wine in hand and eyes wide. "Who knew the Ice Queen could grow sunflowers?" she joked.
Alina just laughed.
She wasn't ice anymore.
She was warmth. Growth. Change.
One evening, Liam and Alina sat on their porch, watching the sunset.
He looked at her. "Do you ever miss the old life?"
She thought for a moment. "Parts of it. But not enough to trade this."
He nodded. "Good. Because I was thinking…"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box.
Alina's breath caught.
"I know it's fast. I know your world was wild. But this—us—feels like the only thing that's ever made sense."
He opened the box.
Inside was a simple ring.
No diamonds. No gold. Just silver with a small sapphire.
"A sky stone," he said. "Because when I met you, you looked like someone who needed a little sky."
Alina didn't need time.
She didn't need to ask questions.
She said, "Yes."
And just like that, the girl who once hid behind a name, behind fear, behind armor—found everything she ever wanted.
Not in the world she built.
But in the life she chose.