Chapter 10 - THE NEW HORIZON: WINNING THE GAME BY REFUSING TO PLAY
Three months after Valentine’s Day, my new life was no longer a temporary corporate rental; it was a permanent, beautifully renovated loft downtown with exposed brick walls, indoor plants, and a balcony overlooking the sparkling city skyline.
My freelance editorial business, Lin Editorial Consulting, had officially incorporated, securing two major publishing houses in Los Angeles and New York as retainer clients.
I was working fewer hours, making more money, and enjoying a level of peace that I hadn't even known existed when I was busy managing Ryan’s emotional ecosystem.
As for Ryan and Ava?
According to public court filings accessed by my brother Noah out of pure professional curiosity, their high-speed Vegas marriage had finally been formally dissolved—not through a quick twenty-four-hour annulment, but through a six-week contested civil proceeding that required formal asset division, legal representation, and thousands of dollars in court fees.
They weren't friends anymore, either.
The "best friend" dynamic that had survived a decade of emotional codependency shattered completely under the weight of shared debt, mutual blame, and the humiliating realization that their little joke had permanently branded them both as office laughingstocks.
I stood on my balcony on a warm Saturday evening, holding a glass of sparkling water, watching the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip flicker to life against the darkening desert sky.
My phone chimed on the patio table behind me.
A text message from an unknown number.
I picked it up and tapped the screen.
“Hey Nora. It’s Chloe. I just wanted to say... I’m really sorry about how everything went down on Valentine’s Day. We were all idiots. I hope you’re doing well.”
I stared at the message for a second.
Then, with a calm, deliberate swipe of my thumb, I blocked the number.
I didn't need an apology from Chloe.
I didn't need closure from Ryan.
And I certainly didn't need anyone’s validation to know that walking away was the best decision I had ever made.
I set the phone down, took a sip of my sparkling water, and smiled into the desert night.
May you like
The license had been issued.
The game had been played.
