Chapter 5 - The Healing at BethesdaSix months after the unmasking at the Metropolitan Club, on a warm, clear Saturday afternoon in late May, Sebastian and I returned to Central Park.
This time, there were no cold autumn winds or hiding behind strollers.
The Bethesda Fountain sparkled under the golden spring sunlight, surrounded by blooming flowers, street musicians playing soft violin melodies, and sunlit crowds.
Four-year-old Noah, Ivy, and Owen ran across the stone plaza, giggling happily as they chased bubbles blown by a street artist, their dark curls catching the sunlight. Owen held his new, soft plush dog, looking up at the sky with a bright, beautiful smile.
Sebastian walked beside me wearing a dark linen shirt, his sleeves rolled up, holding two cups of warm coffee.
He wrapped his broad, warm arm around my waist, pulling me back flush against his solid, six-foot-two frame, leaning down to press a sweet, lingering kiss against my temple.
"What are you thinking about, my queen?" Sebastian whispered softly into my ear.
I looked at our three brilliant children running near the fountain—children who now bore their father's name, loved their father's presence, and lived in unbroken safety.
"I was thinking about four years of silence, Sebastian," I answered softly, leaning my head comfortably back against his broad chest. "And how a question beside this fountain brought us straight to our true home."
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Sebastian offered a soft, breathtaking smile—a look of pure, eternal love that lit up his severe, handsome features.
"I lost four years with you, Maya," Sebastian promised, his deep baritone thick with emotion, pulling me closer under the spring sun. "And I will spend the next fifty making sure every single day is filled with light."
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