Chapter 17 - The Unbroken Circle
Midnight approached, and the ballroom was alive with laughter, music, and the quiet clink of crystal champagne flutes.
I excused myself from a conversation with the German ambassador, stepping out onto the private marble balcony that overlooked the glittering expanse of the Hudson River. The night air was crisp, carrying the distant hum of city traffic and the gentle lapping of river water against the concrete pylons far below.
I leaned against the stone balustrade, closing my eyes for a brief moment to let the cool wind brush against my face.
"Penny for your thoughts, CEO Kensington?"
A warm, familiar voice broke the quiet. I turned my head to see my mother stepping out onto the balcony, wrapping a cashmere shawl around her shoulders.
"Just thinking about how strange life is," I confessed softly, looking out at the glittering lights of the New Jersey shoreline across the water. "A year ago, I honestly believed my entire existence was defined by whether or not a man chose to respect me."
Margo walked over, standing beside me at the railing, her dark eyes warm and steady.
"Every woman goes through a season where she believes her worth is mirrored in someone else's eyes, Vivian," Margo said quietly. "The difference is that some women spend their whole lives trying to clean the mirror... while others smash it and build a window."
I looked down at my left hand, resting on the stone balustrade. The platinum and emerald ring caught the silver moonlight, glowing with a deep, timeless fire.
"I'm glad I smashed it," I whispered.
May you like
"So am I," Margo smiled, looping her arm through mine. "So am I."
Inside the ballroom, the orchestra swelled into a triumphant, uplifting crescendo. The sound drifted out through the glass doors, mingling with the night wind and the pulse of a city that now belonged, entirely and unconditionally, to us.
