Chapter 17: Coronation
I finally made it to the underwater world Russell had built for Claudia. It was my first time stepping inside this strange place. On the horizon, a massive Ferris wheel stood tall, framed by the sea, so impossible to miss, like it belonged to a dream.}
But what really caught my eye was the name above the entrance.}
It wasn’t Claudia’s anymore.
It read ‘Nadine.‘”
I spun around and found Russell standing there in the breeze.}
He looked thin, worn down, like the man I once knew had been stripped away. He’d lost so much weight. His chin was covered in scruffy stubble, and he looked exhausted and messy, nothing like the polished, radiant guy he used to be.”
He went inside first and showed me around the over–the–top space he’d built for Claudia, just for the two of them.}
Through the glass walls, sea turtles glided by, graceful and slow.
I couldn’t help but sneer. “You really don’t like wasting things, huh? Claudia’s out of the picture, so now you bring me in?“}
Russell’s pale face drained even more color, almost like he was fading away.”
His voice shook with helpless humility I’d never heard before. “Nadine, please… don’t say any more.”
But the more he begged me to stop, the more I needed to say.}
“You told me you loved my purity and kindness. But just one little scheme from Claudia, and you lost your soul. So tell me how big is your your heart if it can hold two people at once?“}
I gestured toward the view before us and kept going. “All of this… You built it to confess to Claudia, right? And when she stood you up, you turned to me. So what am I? Her second choice?”
I scoffed. “You say you loved the wrong person, but the truth is, you only loved your own fantasy. Whoever fits that better–that’s, who you pick.”
“Nadine… please… enough.”
His hands gripped my shoulders painfully tight.
Then, without warning, he pulled a contract from his pocket.}
His voice was rough and strained. “This is the deed to this whole place. I’m giving it to you. With this, you’ll never have to worry about money again. You could donate as much as you want to those kids in the mountains.”}
I smirked and knocked the contract right out of his hand. “Russell, what kind of woman do you think I am?“}
And then, suddenly, he dropped to his knees, grabbing my ankle.
“Nadine, I’m begging you–please take it. It’s the only way I can feel even a little less guilty.”
My lips trembled, and I almost bit through them. I closed my eyes and turned away, walking out of that underwater world.”
Russell chased me and grabbed my hand, but I shook him off.
“Just one last ride on the Ferris wheel,” he pleaded. “After that, I promise I won’t bother you again.”}
I hesitated momentarily before warning him, “This is the last time.”}
We got on the Ferris wheel once more, but our hearts no longer beat as one.
I’d been a shy girl the first time I rode it, butterflies swirling inside me. But now, I felt nothing but calm, like still water.
The wheel turned slowly, and the ground slipped away beneath us. Neither of us said a word.”
As we neared the top, fireworks exploded across the sky. They bloomed like bright flowers against the night air.
The Ferris wheel stopped at its highest point.”
“Nadine.”
He said my name.
I turned from the fireworks to look at him.”
My hair fluttered, but I froze.
In this sealed cabin, where was the wind coming from??
I looked closer and saw him.
Russell had smashed the window with his bare hand. Blood splattered into the air as the wind roared in.
He smiled faintly as fresh blood trickled down his arm.
“Nadine,” he said, “I know I’ve made too many mistakes. I can’t expect you to love me again. But I want you to remember me. Only death can make you remember me forever.”
Half his body leaned out the broken window, teetering on the edge.
My nails dug into my palms, stunned into silence.
Then, with pain flickering in his eyes, he whispered, “Nadine, if you forgive me… I won’t jump.”
The Ferris wheel started moving again, slowly descending. Fireworks still burst overhead.
Isaid nothing.”
Sorrow filled his eves &
9:07 AM J
I said nothing.N
Sorrow filled his eyes.
0
“Nadine,” he whispered, one foot on the ledge, “you really are so heartless.“}
The wind howled.§
The fireworks faded.§
The night fell silent.
The Ferris wheel cabin reached the ground, and my legs went weak.
Jacob caught me.
“Is he… dead?” I asked, voice shaking.§
“Yeah,” he answered, holding me steady and warm.
I closed my eyes, my lashes trembling, and didn’t look back.§
‘Russell, this time it was really goodbye,‘ I said quietly.
…D
One week later, Fraizer Group collapsed. Every employee was absorbed into JN Corporation. The police exposed Russell’s crimes publicly, and the entire country was stunned.§
A year later, JN Corporation went global, becoming a world–famous enterprise. Meanwhile, the underwater world was torn down because of environmental concerns.
…s
Two years later, I was out on the open grasslands, paintbrush in hand, soaking in the freedom like sunshine on my skin.
My phone buzzed. It was Jacob.
“Hey, Picasso,” he joked, “there’s a mob of reporters outside your studio. You planning on coming back, or are you officially a runaway
now?”
I smirked as I dabbed at the canvas. “I ran away. Figured I deserved a little peace.”
“Take me with you, oh wise one.“>
But that voice didn’t come from the phone.}
I turned, startled–and there he was. Jacob. The real Jacob. Backlit by the sun, walking toward me with that same soft smile that had haunted my dreams for years.)
“You’re actually here?” I laughed, my voice catching in my throat.
He just smiled, took a slow breath, and then, without a word, dropped to one knee in the tall grass.
It was like the world stopped spinning, just me, him, and the sky.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Simple, but stunning. The kind of beautiful that doesn’t try too hard.
“My love,” he said, voice warm and steady, “I’ve been falling for you since I first saw you. You’ve never left my heart. Not for a second.“}]
I felt my breath hitch, my heart thudding so loud I was sure he could hear it.
“I love you, Nadine James. Marry me.”>
í covered my mouth as tears welled in my eyes. I was shaking–happy, overwhelmed, all of it, and I reached for his hand, laughing through
the tears.
“Yes,” i whispered, then louder, “Yes. I will.”
He pulled me into his arms, and we held each other like the world had finally let us breathe again. Overhead, birds flew across the open sky, carrying our joy with them.”
I looked up at that bright, endless blue and smiled through the tears.
This was the best year of my life. I’d finally let go of the regrets, the fears, and all the second–guessing.
And for the first time, I fully stepped into who I was always meant to be.
