Chapter 8 - THE NEW ESTATE
The house in the hills was a masterpiece of glass and stone.
It sat on a cliff overlooking the city,
glowing like a lantern in the night.
When we arrived,
the gates opened silently.
The driveway was lined with trees,
their leaves silver in the moonlight.
"This is it,"
Ethan said as we pulled up to the front.
It was magnificent,
but it didn't feel cold like the Whitaker mansion.
It felt alive.
We stepped inside,
and I was greeted by walls of glass that showed the entire sparkling grid of Dallas.
"It's beautiful,
Ethan,"
I whispered.
"It's yours,"
he said.
"I had it built three years ago,
but I've never lived here."
"Why not?"
"Because a house like this needs a soul,"
he explained.
"And I hadn't found one yet."
He led me to the master suite,
where a balcony overlooked a private pool.
"Everything you need is here,"
he said.
"But if you want to change anything,
just say the word."
I walked to the edge of the balcony,
feeling the cool night air on my face.
"I want the pictures from the attic,"
I said.
"Of my mother."
"They're already on their way,"
Ethan replied.
"I sent a team to your father's house an hour ago."
"They'll be here by morning."
I turned to him,
my eyes filling with tears.
"You think of everything."
"I've spent a long time watching you,
Madison,"
he admitted.
"Even before your father approached me."
"I saw you at the charity auctions,
staying in the background."
"I saw you at the library,
reading alone."
"I knew you were the only real thing in that family."
He walked over and wiped a tear from my cheek.
"I didn't just marry you to spite them."
"I married you because I wanted to be the one to give you the world."
I leaned into his touch,
the emerald dress feeling heavy but the heart beneath it feeling light.
"I don't need the world,
Ethan."
"I just need you."
"You have me,"
he promised.
"Completely."
That night,
we didn't sleep much.
We talked until the sun began to peek over the horizon.
And when it did,
May you like
the house was filled with the most incredible,
golden sunlight I had ever seen.
