บท 55: (The Happy Ending)

It was already dark outside; Mariana could see the busy streets of Los Angeles as she stood in front of the wide glass wall of her office located in the 12th floor in a twenty five story building. She was dressed in a short, sleeveless gray linen dress that made her look hot and professional,paired with a black heels and her wavy hair cascading down her shoulders.

She started writing novels again, and she had finally been promoted—not just to vice president of a telecommunications company, but to the new Chief Executive Officer. Sadly, Caitlin was far away since she needed to take care of her sick mother, but Mariana always visited her; Caitlin will stay important to her, a family to her. And also, Alton and Serena had already gotten married, and she was happy for them.

Six months had passed, and a smile played on her face as she reminisced about the events of the past few months. Although some of her memories hadn't returned, she knew she no longer needed them. She was satisfied with her new memories, her new happy life.

She was at a point of her life where she could honestly say she was lucky and blessed. Even though she had been tested by the time and the world, she had passed and overcome it.

She was in the middle of this peaceful reminiscing when the door to her office opened. She turned around, and her smile widened when she saw who she was expecting. The man she's always excited and please to meet. Even though he go home with her everyday.

"Hi, good evening, beautiful lady. I am Special Agent Calum Bryant from the FBI. May I have some time to talk to Mrs. Bryant, please?"

His voice was clear and deep, a smile playing on Calum's lips as he looked at Mariana, his beautiful brown eyes meeting hers. He was wearing a navy blue tailored suit and a white T-shirt tucked in his pants and covered by his coat. He looked fresh, handsome, and professional. Looking at him now, you would never know he had once been a brutal assassin.

They had been married for 5 months now, and it did change everything, made their lives the happiest.

Mariana chuckled as she watched him walk toward her with his hands tucked in his pockets. He stopped so close to her, enough for him to kiss her forehead and caress her cheek.

"You smell so good, honey..."

He whispered in his breath. Mariana raised her hand to hold his tightened jaw, tilting his head down. She softly kissed his lips and said,

"You're so late, my dear husband..."

Mariana smiled after her complaint. He placed his other hand on her waist and kissed her softly.

"It's my first time being late, so spare me, your Highness. My watch is broken, so I need to buy one, and me being late? it will never happen again."

He giggled, not from realizing how lame his excuse was, but because it was the truth. He had broken his watch earlier during a fight with one of the suspects in their investigation. He was actually pissed off that he'd let that man break his watch when he'd broken the man's ribs. The suspect should have been the one pissed off, since he would be bedridden for days.

"Oh, come on, Cal. You did it again? I already expected your father visiting our house with his face flaming in anger because you can't stop yourself from breaking some bad guy's ribs."

Mariana chuckled, placing her hand on his chest. Calum was lucky that his father had done everything to clean up his name and make him an FBI agent. Even though some people opposed it, many more favored it, especially because Calum had killed Crow. For now, he and his father had a good relationship, except that Calum always gave him headaches.And Trae was busy dating Caitlin—a love story they never expected. He was back at the FBI as well and happier than ever; he still had that hellish laugh that everyone hated but had been normalized. People around him were immune to his laughter, but Calum and Jack never were.

"Yeah, I can handle him."

Calum proudly stated, his smile never fading.

"I'm sure you do; you spoiled son! "

Mariana chuckled again and continued.

"I'm already hungry; let's eat dinner now."

She demanded. Calum moved his hand from her waist to the top of her stomach.

"So this little human right here is already hungry, huh?"

Mariana nodded slowly while she held his hand above her tummy.

"Yup, always hungry."

With a slow, deliberate movement, Calum knelt, his hands finding their place on her hips. He leaned down and kissed the small, round bump of their baby.

He whispered,

"Make your cravings a little simple, okay? Daddy almost died from the smell of that thing called durian last night."

Mariana burst into laughter. She knew he was talking to her, pleading for her to eat normal food.

"By the way, I want to eat pizza with blue cheese toppings on it."

Calum stood up and fixed his suit.

"Oh, that sounds normal, except for the word 'blue' added on it."

Mariana laughed again.

"You might love it too; we need to look for it now."

Calum smiled, held her hand, and started walking, letting Mariana follow him out of the room.

"I don't think they serve that pizza at the restaurant we're heading, honey."

Calum just shook his head and smirked. It was difficult for him to deal with her pregnancy cravings, but he would do anything for her; here he was, proving it. The most important thing was that she was happy, and their child she was carrying . Calum's world was different now. He had found peace, love, and happiness, and he owed it to her. Their hearts, which they had believed to be deceitful, were now whole. They were happy to have been fooled by their fraudulent hearts because without taking that chance, they might never have had this happy ending.

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