Chapter 19 - The Crown ReclaimedTwo years after the night of the birthday party, I stood on the balcony of my private penthouse suite overlooking the harbor.
The moon was full, casting a silver path across the dark, gentle waves of the ocean. The air was crisp, clean, and filled with the scent of night jasmine.
I wore a stunning, emerald-green silk dress—a dress I had chosen myself, for myself.
My phone buzzed on the outdoor table. It was a notification from the corporate feed:
MORETTI GLOBAL NAMED TOP INFRASTRUCTURE FIRM OF THE YEAR
CEO ELENA MORETTI HONORED WITH NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
I picked up the phone, looked at the headline for a brief moment, and then turned the screen off, setting it down on the table.
Awards, wealth, and public praise were pleasant, but they were not the foundation of my happiness. My happiness was built on the peace in my heart, the strength in my spine, and the knowledge that no one would ever make me feel small again.
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I leaned against the balcony railing, taking a deep, satisfying breath of the cool night air.
The pain of the thirty strikes was gone. The scars remained, but they were no longer marks of shame—they were my armor.
