Chapter 239

Ella

The weeks following the funeral passed by in a blur. Logan and I settled into a new form of comfortable, whatever ‘comfortable’ even was anymore. I was still living in his mansion for the time being, although it was becoming more out of habit than necessity.

After everything, I couldn’t sleep at night. Neither could he. We needed each other if we were going to stay sane.

Not that I minded, though. I liked having him nearby. Now that we had marked one another, it felt as natural as breathing or drinking water.

One morning, though, I couldn’t seem to get the key that he had found off of my mind. He had pocketed the key as soon as he found it, making a promise to check out whatever vault it led to. I was curious, of course, but I didn’t push.

But it had been weeks, and he hadn’t mentioned anything.

I was brewing my coffee, waiting for the cup to fill, when I finally turned around and asked the question that had been on the tip of my tongue for days now.

“Hey,” I said, leaning against the counter, “did you ever check out the vault?”

Logan glanced up from his newspaper and shot me a quizzical look. “Huh?”

“The vault,” I said. “Did you use the key your mom left for you yet?”

For a moment, Logan just blinked at me. But then he shrugged and returned his gaze to his paper. “Not yet.”

I frowned. “Why not? Aren’t you curious?”

He didn’t answer; not right away, at least. But I could see the way his eyes darted across the page of the newspaper. He was thinking.

“I’m just… busy,” he finally said. “I’ll get around to it eventually, though.”

With that, Logan stood and grabbed his jacket off of the back of the chair. He planted a warm kiss on my cheek, and then he was gone. It was his last day of community service; he had been working on a project to build a local school. If I was being honest, I think he was a little sad it was over. He clearly was enjoying himself.

But I knew that community service wasn’t what was on his mind this morning.

I could sense there was more he wasn’t saying about the enigmatic vault, but I didn’t press any further. He had been through so much, and I knew he needed space to process things in his own way.

Instead, I focused on my own agenda, preparing for the next steps in my life.

I had been considering moving back into my small apartment at least temporarily, weighing the pros and cons of living together with Logan. I enjoyed his company, but my apartment was closer to the law firm.

And besides, I missed my apartment. I missed my things. The mansion was nice, but it felt… wrong, almost. The ceilings were too high, the walls too bare, and the carpeted floors bothered me. It just didn’t feel like a real home for us. Logan had mentioned on more than one occasion that he had only bought this place out of necessity, but he never made any suggestions about selling it.

And right now, I wasn’t going to pressure him.

In the meantime, the search for Harry and Marina had also continued, albeit with little progress. They seemed to have vanished into thin air after plundering Leonard’s wealth.

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of frustration each time I thought about it, but I knew it was out of my hands now.

Devon, Logan, and I had made our statements to the police. The coroner’s report had shown no ill intent, but it was always hard to tell with a man Leonard’s age who had only just had a heart attack. There was no sign of a struggle, and his signature on the will had been genuine.

It was no matter, though. I knew that Harry and Marina would face justice sooner or later. I knew them both too well; it would only be a matter of time before they spent all of the money, resorted to more crime, and got caught.

Hell, they already had an Italian mafia boss on their trail. If we didn’t find them, he certainly would.

Aside from that, my parents called frequently, their voices filled with a mix of concern and hope whenever they spoke to me.

“Ella, honey, are you sure you won’t come back home?” Moana would ask, always sounding just a little hopeful despite her attempts to sound nonchalant.

“You know your room is always open here,” my father chimed in. “Same goes to Logan.”

“We’d love to have both of you here,” Moana added. “And, with Selina getting on in age…” She lowered her voice so as not to be overheard. “...She misses you, too. You should at least come and visit.”

I appreciated their concern, but my answer was always the same. “I’ll come and visit as soon as I get a chance, but I’m not moving in. There’s still so much to do here,” I would tell them. “And honestly, the desert has grown on me. I don’t want to leave.”

Each time I said it, I realized more and more that it was true. This place, with its vast skies and endless horizons, had become a part of me in ways I had never expected.

Daisy, on the other hand, was thriving and free of all worries that didn’t involve grades and boys. Lately, she had been bubbling over with excitement about prom season, her voice a torrent of enthusiasm about dresses, dates, and decorations every time we spoke. I didn’t mind, of course. Just a month ago, I had thought she was at risk of death. If she spent the rest of her life talking about prom, I wouldn’t mind.

“I wish you could be here to help me pick out a dress,” she said wistfully one day.

“I wish I could too,” I replied. “But you’ll have to send me pictures. I want to see everything. And don’t let dad convince you to get a dress you don’t like! I learned that the hard way.”

“I won’t,” Daisy said with a giggle. “Dad doesn’t know anything about fashion. He wants me to dress like a grandma.”

“I just don’t like the way that those boys stare at you,” I could hear my father say in the background. “They’re not to be trusted. I’m just protecting you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and neither could Daisy. But then something caught my eye; Logan was standing on the front lawn, talking to a man in a suit. The man was holding something.

Something that looked strangely like a for-sale sign.

With my curiosity piqued, I said goodbye to my sister and stepped outside. “Who’s this?” I asked as I approached the two men.

Logan turned to me, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. “Ella, this is Mr. Daniels,” he said. “He’s… a realtor.”

The man, Mr. Daniels, extended his hand in greeting. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Morgan.”

After exchanging pleasantries and watching Mr. Daniels drive away, I turned to Logan, my mind racing. “Are you selling the mansion?”

Logan rubbed the back of his neck and shot me a sheepish look. “I was gonna tell you,” he said.

I shrugged, even though I was a bit taken aback. “It’s your house,” I said. “But… what’s your plan after this?”

For a moment, Logan was silent. Then, when he spoke, his voice was soft. “I want to start over,” he said quietly. “With you.”

His words hung in the air, and something about them made my heart race for reasons I didn’t understand. “What are you saying, Logan?”

“I was gonna wait until the ‘right time’, but…” He reached into his pocket, and in one fluid motion, he was down on one knee, a small velvet box in his hand. He opened it, revealing a ring that glittered in the sunlight.

In that moment, time seemed to stand still. My breath hitched in my throat, and I took a reeling step backwards, wondering if this was all a dream.

“Ella,” Logan said, his clear blue eyes meeting mine, “will you marry me… For real, this time?”