Chapter 5 - Nebula’s Rebirth
The aftermath was a hurricane of justice.
Sebastian and Evelyn were arrested on the spot.
The "other woman" turned state's evidence within an hour of being questioned.
The foreign conglomerate deal was dismantled by the federal government.
Nebula Systems’ stock plummeted for a day, then tripled the next.
The world wanted to see the woman who had fallen from the sky and returned as a god.
But I didn't care about the news.
Two months later, I sat in a sun-drenched nursery in the Oregon lighthouse.
I had bought the building and turned it into a home.
It was the only place I felt truly safe.
Lucia sat on the porch, a cup of coffee in her hand, still keeping watch.
I looked down at the bundle in my arms.
Leo.
He had his father's hair, but he had my eyes.
He was healthy, happy, and entirely unaware of the heights we had fallen from.
A knock came at the door.
It was my new attorney—a man Lucia had vetted through three different intelligence agencies.
"The sentencing came through, Valentina," he said.
"Sebastian got life without parole."
"Evelyn took a plea deal—twenty years."
"The company is officially back under your full control."
I looked at the documents, but I didn't sign them.
"I'm stepping down as CEO," I said.
The attorney blinked. "What? But you built it."
"I built a fortress," I said. "And it almost became my tomb."
"I'm turning Nebula into a non-profit for global cybersecurity."
"I have enough money. What I don't have is time."
"I want to spend it here. With him."
I looked out at the ocean.
The same ocean that had tried to swallow me.
It looked beautiful now. Calm.
I realized that the fall hadn't been the end of my life.
It had been the beginning.
Sebastian thought he had thrown me to my death.
Instead, he had stripped away everything that wasn't real.
He had left me with my strength, my son, and my soul.
Lucia walked in and stood by the window.
"You're sure about the company?"
"I'm sure," I said.
"I don't want Leo growing up in a world where we measure success by billions."
"I want him to know that the most important thing you can build is a way to get back up."
I stood up and walked to the window.
The wind was picking up, the same wind that had once torn the scream from my throat.
But I wasn't screaming now.
I was breathing.
I was living.
I was free.
I held Leo closer and kissed his forehead.
We had survived the sky.
We had survived the sea.
The rest was easy.
I looked at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set.
The world was wide, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid of the fall.
Because I knew exactly how to fly.
The lighthouse beam cut through the gathering dark, a steady, pulsing light.
A signal to the world.
I am here.
May you like
We are here.
And we are never going away.
