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Trapped for 7 Hours in the Elevator, My Husband Saved His Mistress. I, Pregnant, Was Left Behind. When I Returned... / Chapter 10 / 10

Chapter 10 - Sunshine After the Storm

Five years later, the autumn air in Chicago was crisp, golden, and filled with the scent of roasted chestnuts and falling leaves.

Lucy stood near the fountain in Millennium Park, watching a bright-eyed five-year-old girl with dark curls and an unstoppable laugh chase a flock of pigeons across the pavement. Her name was Hope.

"Mommy! Mommy, look how fast I can run!" Hope shouted back, turning around with a brilliant grin that completely eclipsed any memory of the past.

"I see you, sweetheart! Don't go too far!" Lucy called out, adjusting her trench coat and smiling warmly.

Footsteps crunched on the gravel path beside her. Maya and Mark—now married with a toddler of their own—walked up carrying two cups of hot cider, handing one to Lucy.

"She's getting faster every day," Mark laughed, shaking his head as he watched Hope leap over a low hedge. "I'm telling you, she’s got your stubborn streak, Lucy. Nothing holds her back."

"Good," Lucy said, taking a sip of the warm cider and feeling the autumn breeze brush against her face. "She's going to need it."

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She didn't look back. The elevator doors had finally opened years ago, and this time, the light outside wasn't an ending. It was a brand-new beginning.

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