---- Chapter 14 Olivia POV: Christmas in Portland is magical. Ben and | decorate our little bungalow, the scent of pine filling the house. On Christmas Eve, we host a small dinner. Maya flies in. The room is filled with laughter and warmth, a simple, pure joy that no amount of dirty money could ever buy. Christmas morning, Ben hands me a small, velvet box. Inside is a delicate silver necklace with a hummingbird pendant. "Hummingbirds are symbols of joy, resilience, and new beginnings," he says softly, his eyes full of love. "That's you, Olivia." Tears well in my eyes as he fastens it around my neck. This is my true Omerta, a bond of love and trust. "| love you, Olivia Carter," he says, his words a validation of the woman I've become. "| love you too," | reply, my voice thick with emotion. In that moment, any lingering shadow of Ava Miller vanishes completely. Years later, I'm weeding the garden when my phone rings. A New York number. The ghost from a world I've long since ---- buried. It's Sarah Reed. "| know it's been a long time," she says. "But | just wanted to call one last time. To say thank you. Our conversation... it helped me move on. It helped my family start to heal." "I'm glad, Sarah," | say, and | mean it. "| hope you're happy, wherever you are," she says. | look at the beautiful life | have built, the man | love, the peace | have earned. "I am," | say. "I really am." We say our goodbyes. The last thread is cut, not with anger, but with a quiet sense of closure. | am Olivia Carter. And | am finally, completely, free.