Chapter 13 - THE HOME ANNIE CHOSE
Victor offered Catherine a house.
Not the old mansion.
Not the family estate.
A modest home near Annie's school.
Three bedrooms.
A small garden.
A kitchen filled with sunlight.
Catherine visited it with him.
She walked through the rooms.
Touched the windowsill.
Looked toward the backyard.
Then turned.
“Why this one?”
Victor smiled.
“Because Annie said she wanted a garden.”
Catherine looked at him.
“And you?”
He shrugged.
“I want wherever you two feel safe.”
She studied him.
For years, she'd believed Victor cared too much about appearances.
The right address.
The right parties.
The right people.
Now he was standing in a simple house, asking what she wanted.
She smiled faintly.
“I like it.”
Victor's face brightened.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“But I want to contribute.”
He frowned.
“Catherine—”
She raised a hand.
“I mean it.”
He stopped.
She continued.
“I don't want to feel like a guest in your life.”
Victor looked at her.
“Then we build it together.”
She smiled.
“Together.”
They moved slowly.
Catherine kept working part-time while completing professional training in financial compliance.
Victor supported her decision.
Annie chose the color of her bedroom.
Yellow.
She insisted on painting one wall herself.
Victor agreed.
The result was uneven.
Paint appeared on the floor.
On the doorframe.
On Victor's shirt.
Annie laughed.
Catherine laughed too.
For a moment, they were simply a family.
One evening, after Annie fell asleep, Victor and Catherine sat on the porch.
The garden smelled of wet earth.
Victor looked at her.
“Do you regret trying again?”
She considered the question.
“No.”
His eyes filled.
She smiled.
“It's not easy.”
“I know.”
“But it's real.”
He nodded.
She took his hand.
“That's enough.”
Victor looked toward the house.
The lights glowed softly.
Annie's drawing hung on the refrigerator.
Their shoes stood beside the door.
Nothing was perfect.
But everything belonged to them.
For the first time in years, Victor didn't feel like a wealthy man trying to protect an empire.
He felt like a husband.
May you like
A father.
A man learning how to come home.
