Chapter 10 Three years passed. The wedding venue was breathtaking. I stood under the spotlight with my arm wrapped around Caleb's. Wearing a long wedding gown and a sheer bridal veil, I looked to my side and met his stoic yet warm gaze. He whispered, "You look beautiful today, Queenie." The audience below the stage excitedly clapped for us. No one noticed a man in a faded work uniform hiding in the shadows of the opposite street, watching the scene from afar. It was Zachary. Scrunched up in his hand was a letter. Cut by the edge of the paper, his fingers were red. He couldn't bring himself to step forward, so he simply watched from the shadows. When I returned to the bridal suite after the wedding, my assistant handed me a letter. "Ms. Scott, someone left an anonymous letter for you." I opened the letter. Although the handwriting was messy, I knew it was Zachary's at first glance. The letter read, "Queenie, I know I don't have the right to say anything because I brought this upon myself, but I wish you happiness. Yours truly, Zachary." I expressionlessly tore the letter into pieces before throwing it into the trash can. Caleb walked into the room and noticed the scraps of paper beside my feet. He didn't pry. Instead, he simply held his hand out to me. "The media's waiting for us, Mrs. Green." I looked up at him and smiled. "Okay." When we walked out hand in hand, camera flashes filled my vision. Other good news soon followed. A week later, I rushed back from our honeymoon cruise to stand on the stage of the Economic Impact Award ceremony. All eyes were on me. Countless people and their cameras gathered below the stage. I said resolutely, "Thank you for your acknowledgement. This is not an ending, but a new beginning." The crowd gave me a round of applause. Caleb was sitting in the first row, holding our one-year-old son. He waved his arms and called out to me, "Mommy!" My gaze softened when I looked at them. The camera captured that very moment. The clip went viral with "#QueenOfHerLife". 1/2 ChopNA TO +25 Bonus Meanwhile, in a noisy break room of a construction site, the workers gathered together to have lunch. The small television above them was playing the news of my receiving the award. "Wow, that female CEO is incredible! She got another award!" "I heard that her husband is Caleb Green. That guy's a crazy rich billionaire!" "Look at how cute her son is!" As the crowd talked amongst themselves, a man quietly ate his cold bread with his head down. His work uniform was smeared with mortar. His hands were rough and cracked. He looked like he had aged considerably after years of labour. It was Zachary. Listening to the discussions around him, he looked up at the television. On the television, my smile was bright and confident. Carrying our son, Caleb stood up and walked beside me. We smiled lovingly at each other. Zachary looked away and smiled bitterly. He quickly finished his bread in three bites. Then, he stood up and picked up a bag of cement before walking into the construction site. Under the sun, his long shadow seemed especially somber. He did not turn back.