Ten years later.
The house overlooking the lagoon was alive with laughter.
Bare feet pounded across polished floors as two children raced each other toward the garden—one loud and fearless, the other sharp-eyed and clever, already planning how to win before running.
"Slow down!" Ivie called, smiling despite herself.
"They never do," Femi replied, amusement in his voice as he stepped beside her.
Their twins—now tall, curious, and impossible to ignore—skidded to a stop near the water, arguing loudly about who would inherit the family dog's loyalty.
Femi shook his head fondly. "They have your fire."
"And your stubbornness," Ivie countered.
He laughed. "Fair."
Femi da Silva was no longer introduced as Lagos' most notorious playboy.
He was spoken of as a visionary businessman, a devoted husband, a present father.
And a man deeply, irrevocably in love with his wife.
He still worked hard—but he came home earlier now. Still powerful—but gentler. Still commanding—but never with her.
Ivie had built her own life too.
She ran a foundation supporting young women who'd grown up with too much responsibility too soon—girls who reminded her of herself.
"You saved me," one of them once told her.
Ivie had smiled and replied, "No. I chose myself."
That evening, after the children were tucked into bed, Ivie joined Femi on the balcony.
The city glowed below them—Lagos unchanged in its chaos, yet somehow softer from this height.
"Do you ever think about how it started?" she asked.
He didn't need clarification.
"Yes," he said. "Often."
"A contract. Hate. Fear."
"And a woman brave enough to stand in front of my car," he added quietly.
She laughed. "You almost ran me over."
"And I almost lost everything by not stopping," he replied.
He took her hand, thumb brushing the familiar ring she still wore.
Forever, Still Chosen
"I still choose you," he said suddenly.
She turned to him. "You say that every year."
"Because it's still true," he replied. "Every day."
She leaned into him, resting her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of a heart that had once been closed—now wide open.
Below them, their children laughed in their sleep.
Above them, the night stretched endless and kind.
Love had not been easy.
But it had been worth it.
And this—this was the life they had fought for.
Together.