Peace At Last
ARIANA’S POV
They say healing doesn’t happen overnight.
I didn’t believe them until now.
Because even though the pain in my shoulder still flared every time I moved too fast… even though the grief came in quiet, suffocating waves when no one was looking… even though my body was fragile and my mind felt like glass…
There was something about the way Hardin looked at me—like I wasn’t broken. Like I wasn’t damage he had to fix, but something he chose to love, cracks and all.
And every day I woke up in that hospital bed with him sleeping in the chair beside me, head tilted at an awkward angle, hand always wrapped around mine—I fell in love with him all over again.
Quietly.
Hopelessly.
Utterly.
Hardin had become my safe place. My constant. My home.
And today, after a week in the hospital, he wheeled me out into the sun with that crooked, boyish smile on his face, the one that made my chest feel too tight.
“You okay?” he asked, glancing down at me.
I smiled, letting the light warm my face. “Better than okay.”
He grinned. “Then let’s get you home.”
***
I didn’t expect the decorations.
The moment we stepped inside the house, my breath caught.
“Welcome Home, Ariana,” the sign read in bold gold letters, surrounded by soft pink and white balloons. Flower petals lined the foyer, and the scent of lavender and roses hung in the air.
I blinked quickly, overcome.
“You did all this?” I whispered.
“Some of it,” Hardin said. “Your grandfather insisted on the rest. Said you deserved to come back to something beautiful.”
My gaze swept the room—and then landed on him.
My grandfather.
Standing beside the fireplace, holding a bouquet of roses in hands.
“Grandpa…”
I pushed myself up slightly in the wheelchair, and Hardin moved beside me instantly, steadying me. But I didn’t care.
I needed to hug him.
He stepped forward, setting the roses on the table, and knelt down in front of me like I was made of porcelain.
“I’ve been waiting to give you these all week,” he said gruffly, handing them to me. “You scared the hell out of me.”
I swallowed hard, taking the bouquet into my lap. “You shouldn’t have worried. I told you—I’m too stubborn to die.”
His face twisted in a smile, but there was pain there too. Pain he couldn’t hide.
I reached out and squeezed his hand. “We’re going to be okay, Grandpa. We’re going to be fine.”
His fingers curled around mine, and for a moment, we just sat like that. Two souls trying to breathe after almost losing each other.
Garry was dead.
William was behind bars.
The shadows that had nearly swallowed our family whole were finally starting to lift.
I thought that was it.
But then—
I saw her.
Standing awkwardly by the staircase, half-hidden behind a vase of lilies.
Aunt Celia.
My breath caught.
We hadn’t spoken since the day she slapped me.
Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, and the moment I looked at her, she stepped forward—
Then dropped to her knees.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. “Ariana—I’m so, so sorry.”
I blinked, stunned.
She pressed her palms together in front of her like she was praying, her voice shaking. “I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t know he was a monster. He acted so sweet, so kind—he fooled me. All those years, he fooled me.”
“Celia—” Grandpa began, stepping toward her.
But she didn’t look at him.
She only looked at me.
Her face twisted with anguish. “Everything that happened—it’s my fault. If I hadn’t married him, none of this would’ve happened. My brother would still be alive. Our family wouldn’t have suffered. You wouldn’t have suffered.”
She lowered her head, her voice breaking. “I brought that snake into our lives. I made him part of our family. And it nearly destroyed us. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
For a long moment, I couldn’t speak.
My mind went to all the things she’d said to me.
All the ways she’d doubted me. The slap. The silence.
But beneath all of it… she’d been blinded. Just like I had been.
Just like we all had been.
I leaned forward slightly in the chair, my voice quiet. “It’s not your fault.”
She looked up, eyes wide and disbelieving.
“You loved him,” I continued. “That’s not a crime. He was manipulative. He used your love to get close to us, to hide in plain sight. But that doesn’t make you responsible for what he did. You didn’t kill my mother. He did.”
Celia covered her mouth with her hands and sobbed.
I exhaled, my heart heavy. “You were blinded by love.”
She crawled forward then, clutching my hand, her voice thick with gratitude and guilt. “I’m so sorry. I’ll spend the rest of my life making this right if you’ll let me.”
I squeezed her fingers. “Start by forgiving yourself.”
****
Hardin helped me upstairs, despite my endless protests that I could manage.
“Don’t make me strap you down,” he warned teasingly.
“Sounds kinky,” I muttered under my breath, and he nearly tripped.
“You’re lucky you’re recovering,” he shot back, cheeks faintly pink.
By the time we reached my room, I was exhausted—but it didn’t stop me from smiling when I saw the fresh sheets, the flowers by the window, and the small stuffed bear sitting on my pillow.
“You’re spoiling me,” I murmured as he helped me into bed.
“I intend to,” he said, brushing a kiss to my forehead. “Now rest. Doctor’s orders.”
I rolled my eyes but relaxed into the pillows.
A soft knock came on the door.
Hardin glanced back, then leaned down to kiss my forehead again. “I’ll give you a minute.”
When he opened the door, my grandfather stepped inside, his face lined with emotion.
“Hey,” he said, his voice unsteady.
“Hey,” I whispered.
Hardin gave me a quick look before leaving us alone.
Grandpa sat on the edge of the bed, his hands trembling slightly.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said after a moment. “That bastard… Garry… he tried to kill you.”
His voice cracked.
“I keep thinking—what if he’d succeeded? What if I’d lost you too?”
I reached for his hand. “But you didn’t. I’m right here.”
His eyes welled, and for the first time in my life, I saw him cry.
Tears slipped down his cheeks, carving lines through a face that had always seemed so strong.
“I was supposed to protect you,” he choked. “Supposed to keep you safe. And I almost lost you.”
I pulled him into a hug, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. “But you didn’t lose me. I’m alive, Grandpa. We’re still here. You didn’t fail.”
He held me like I was a lifeline.
I felt his chest tremble against mine.
I swallowed hard, fighting my own tears. “You’ve carried this family on your back for so long. You don’t have to be the strong one all the time.”
He pulled back with a sad smile. “You just saw me crying,”
“I did.”
“I must look pathetic.”
I shook my head. “You look human.”
A soft laugh escaped him, choked behind the grief. “You’re too good for this world, Ariana.”
“No,” I whispered. “I’m just lucky I have people who love me.”
He wiped at his eyes with a tissue from my nightstand, and then… he looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time.
“I’m proud of you,” he said. “I need you to know that. I am so damn proud of you.”
A fresh wave of tears filled my eyes, and I nodded.
“I love you, Grandpa.”
“I love you too, Ariana Stone.”
We sat there in the quiet for a while, just holding hands.
And for the first time in weeks, I felt something I hadn’t dared hope for.
Peace.
*****
Later, after everyone had gone and the house was quiet, Hardin came back into the room carrying a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream.
I raised a brow. “Is this another doctor’s order?”
“Nope,” he said, grinning. “Boyfriend’s order. You need sugar. You’re too sweet to be running low.”
I laughed, even as my eyes rolled. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’re beautiful,” he said, offering me a strawberry.
I bit into it slowly, savoring the burst of flavor—and the look in his eyes as he watched me.
“I meant what I said,” he added softly. “About building something real. About the baby. About us.”
“I know,” I whispered.
He climbed onto the bed beside me, careful of my shoulder, and I leaned into his chest, our fingers laced between us over my stomach.
“I’m scared,” I admitted.
“So am I.”
“But I’m happy too,” I said. “And I didn’t think I could feel that again.”
He pressed his lips to my temple.
“We’re going to be okay,” he whispered. “You, me, and this little one.”
I closed my eyes and let myself believe it.
For once, the nightmare was over.
And the beginning of something beautiful had finally begun.
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