Chapter 10 - THE AFTERMATH
Though we had found our peace, the echoes of our past occasionally rippled across the ocean.
One evening, after closing the bakery, I sat at the small wooden table near the window, sipping tea while Vincent tallied the day's receipts.
The bell above the door chimed.
I looked up, surprised, as the shop was officially closed.
A woman stood in the doorway, shaking an umbrella.
It was Celeste.
She wasn't in her FBI uniform. She wore a casual trench coat and a warm smile.
"Celeste!" I gasped, standing up and rushing over to hug her.
Vincent looked up from his ledger, a massive grin spreading across his face. "Agent! What are you doing in Paris?"
"Taking a vacation," Celeste smiled, looking around the cozy shop. "And checking up on my favorite informants. This place is beautiful, Vincent."
"It's quiet," he said, tapping his chest. "Good for the heart."
Celeste sat down with us, and I poured her a cup of espresso.
"I wanted to deliver the final news in person," Celeste said, her tone shifting to something slightly more serious. "The trials concluded yesterday."
Vincent went still. "And?"
"Dominic was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole at ADX Florence," she said. "The New York families tried to have him silenced before he could testify against them, but we kept him isolated. He's locked away forever."
I felt a final, lingering knot of anxiety dissolve in my stomach.
"What about Claire?" I asked quietly.
Celeste sighed. "Twenty years. Fraud, conspiracy, and attempted murder. She didn't take it well when the judge read the verdict. She screamed that it was your fault, Evelyn."
I looked down at my tea.
Part of me still grieved for the little sister I used to braid hair for. But that girl was gone.
"I forgive her," I said softly. "But I never want to see her again."
Vincent reached across the table and took my hand.
"You don't have to," he said. "That life is over."
May you like
Celeste smiled, lifting her espresso cup. "To new beginnings."
"To new beginnings," we echoed.
