Song: This Love by Taylor Swift

This love is a life back from the dead ....
These hands had to let it go free ...
And this love came back to me ...

I took one long look at Henry again before placing a kiss on his cheek and leaning back into him. My arms slid around his waist, holding on to him dearly. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too."

We clung onto each other for another minute before letting go. I stared up at him again in disbelief, hoping this wasn't some good dream  within a dream where I couldn't tell the difference between reality from fantasy.

My hands gently felt his cheeks again. "It is really you."

He smiled. "It's really me, Ally." He placed his forehead on mine. "This time, it's for real. No more lies, no more hiding. It's you and me, together."

I smiled out of happiness.

"Let's go inside," I told him, and he nodded.

I led him inside our home. From when we entered the front doors, Henry peered up from the floor to the ceiling and slowly surveyed the renovated house just like Violet did earlier in the evening.

"Ally, it's—," Henry was speechless. He finally turned to me with a smile. "It's wonderful. I don't know what else to say. Everything you did for this house, our home—it's absolutely beyond my imagination."

"I'm happy you like it, Henry."

"Why did you?"

"Because it's your home. It's our home. And I don't want to raise our children anywhere else but here."

Henry kissed the temple of my head. "I can't thank you enough."

I smiled and placed my hand up to his cheek, checking his dull features. "You lost some weight. Have you been eating right? Are you hungry? Did you eat anything yet? What did you want me to make for you?"

He laughed softly. It was good to hear his chuckle again in person. "I'm fine, honey. Don't worry about it. I don't want to do anything but be with you and our baby. You probably have lots of questions for me, right?"

I nodded. "So many that I don't even know where to begin."

"That's what I thought."

"How about this? You go change upstairs and come down to the living room while I whip you up a quick late snack and some warm milk. How does that sound?"

He nodded. "That's perfect."

Henry kissed my cheek before leaving to go upstairs, and I went to the kitchen to make him a sandwich, a fruit bowl, and a warm cup of milk.

"The food is ready." I placed the tray of food onto the glass coffee table and sat next to Henry who had changed into comfortable clothes. "You have to eat everything."

"Yes, Mrs. Cavill," he teased. "It's like we switched roles."

"I think we have." We both chuckled. "Okay, now eat your food, please," I teased nicely.

I watched as Henry ate, feeling joyful inside just watching him. I never knew how much solace it brought me just being able to observe him in this state. Even when he was sitting down next to me, I still somehow missed him.

A little mayonnaise got on his lips, and I grabbed a napkin to wiped it off him.

"Thank you."

I grabbed the cup of warm milk. "Here, drink some milk. You need the calcium."

Henry took the cup and lifted it to his mouth, swallowing the contents down. "Your food is delicious as always."

"Well, it's not that hard to make a sandwich." I softly chuckled, and Henry did the same. "But it was hard waiting for you ... not knowing if you were alive, if you would ever come back."

Henry wiped his hands with the napkin and reached for my hand, placing it over his heart.

"I missed you and our baby so much," Henry murmured. "I still miss you right now in this moment. I wanted to come back to you. But I didn't know what was the right thing to do anymore. Every time I thought about the ordeal I put you and your family through, I was afraid to hurt you again and our child. You were better without me."

I placed my free hand on his mouth. "That's not true. To me, when I thought I had lost you, Henry, my world shattered. And to live not knowing whether you were alive or not, it was unbearable every second of it."

He nodded his head sadly. He brought our intertwined hands to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. "I'm sorry. I did wrong to you and our baby. But I'm here now, and I promise I'm not going anywhere." Henry placed his hands on my belly. "Do you know the gender?"

I nodded. "Do you want to know?"

Henry smiled, shaking his head. "I want it to be a surprise. It doesn't matter to me if it's a boy or a girl. I'm happy with either gender. How is the baby doing?"

"Very strong, and even stronger now that you're here with us. I can tell the little one is happy to have you close."

"Thank you for staying strong without me. I know it must have been difficult. And thank you for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself."

"I always will, Henry ... Can you ... tell me what happened ... in the fire?" I asked. "I want to understand why."

"Well .... when Nick took you out of the house at my request, Donovan returned and pulled me out of the house through the backyard. Because the FBI was looking for him, he took me to a secret place outside the city and arranged for a friend of his to save my life."

"He did those things?"

Henry nodded. "If it wasn't for him, I probably won't be here."

"It shocks me knowing he was the one who saved your life. He wrote me a letter."

"Donovan did?"

"Yes. Before he turned himself in, he gave Nick a letter to give to me. He wrote me that you were still alive. Did you know? His letter gave me hope ... Henry, where were you all this time?"

"I was all over, Ally. I went back to the places you and I went to: the tulip fields, the cottage I took you to for your twenty-fourth birthday, Annecy, Vienna ... That was the only way I could be close to you, through our memories in those places. I survived every day by thinking about you and our baby, and then I died a little doing just the same ... I guessed I was trying to find myself again in this world, but then I realized, time doesn't heal wounds. Love does. I was only waisting my time."

He pulled me into his chest, and I snuggled safely in his arms, hearing his heart beat close to my ear.

"The answer was already waiting for me at home. And that's you. Only with you, I would be able to find myself again."

.....

"Morning, you," I heard Henry whisper softly into my ear. He kissed the corner of my shoulder and then moved his face close to mine, kissing me on the cheek. "I made your favorite breakfast."

I smiled. "Thank you. I love waking up to see you like this."

"And I love getting up to see you next to me in our bed."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me, brushing my lips softly over his. "I missed these kissable lips."

Henry smiled. "They're not going anywhere anymore. They're all yours."

"Promise."

"Promise. I brought breakfast up to you."

Henry grabbed the table tray on the dresser and placed it on the bed. "Your favorite, toast and scrambled eggs, and also a side of vegetables."

"Thank you, honey. You're the best." I beamed. "Now that you're back, are you heading into the office? They'll be all thrill to see you."

"Not for a while. Nick's taking care of the office in my place. I think its's about time I take a long vacation from work.

"Really?"

"I'm serious. And I don't think people would do well with the idea that I came back from the dead."

We both laughed. "I don't think so either."

Henry placed my loose hair strands behind my ear. "I have a family now I want to take care of. I don't want anything more than that. And do you know what the first thing I want to do is?"

Biting on a piece of toast, I shook my head cluelessly.

"Let's visit Chris. Shall we?"

"I like that very much. Chris would be so surprised to see you, but I'm positive he'll also be very happy."

After breakfast, Henry and I went over to my mother's house. This was going to be the first time all three of us—Henry, Chris, and I—were together. This was the moment I had been anticipating for so long, and it finally arrived.

Even though Henry believed Chris was the person who murdered his sister from the beginning, the most important thing that mattered was that my husband forgave my innocent brother and move on from the past. The journey wasn't easy, but Henry was able to do it.

With my hand on my belly, I held Henry's hand as we walked towards my mom's mobile home.

Once we reached the little porch, I rang the doorbell as Henry stood on the snow-covered path. "Are you nervous?"

"I'm not. I told you I met Chris before."
He smiled confidently.

"How could I forget? You did already tell me."

My mom opened the door. She gasped upon seeing Henry, and her shocking expression slowly turned into tears.

"Henry, is that really you!?" my mom asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Winters. It's really me."

"Oh my goodness. God does have mercy." She stepped out from the tiny porch to the ground and hugged Henry. "It is really you."

Chris came to the door to check out the noise, his expression similar to my mom's upon seeing his brother-in-law. "Henry?" 

"Hello, Chris, how are you?" Henry smiled.

Before Chris could say anything further, he walked out of the house and embraced Henry. "I'm sorry for everything, Henry."

"I'm sorry, too," Henry responded.

Witnessing my brother and my husband embraced brought tears burning on my eyes. I stepped down to the ground to them. "Hey, did we agree no more apologies?"

They both diverted their attention to me and pulled me into the circle, and we all embraced each other, the three of us.

Seeing how comfortable Henry and Chris were with each other moved me to tears. Maybe it was the hormones.

After lunch with Chris and my mom, all four of us headed to see our loved ones who weren't with us today. First we visited our father's grave. It was a heartfelt motion for Chris as our dad passed away when he was in prison. The last time he saw our dad was during his funeral.

After our dad's grave, we went to see Jennifer. I placed the flower of purple tulips on her tombstone, hoping she could enjoy their beauty from where she was watching us.

Be free now, Pen.

There really was a rainbow at the end after a storm, only if one was patient enough to wait for it.

.....

"Where would you like this, honey?" Henry asked, pointing to the vase of flowers I had recently finished.

"In the middle of the long table, please."

I returned my attention to the flower arrangement I was working on.

It was New Year's Eve, and Henry and I were on the hotel's 30th floor, finishing up the centerpieces in one of the conference rooms.

I had invited everyone for dinner at Pearce Hotel and Resort, hoping to surprise them with the news of Henry's return. Nick was the only one who knew my husband's existence.

I grabbed two roses and trimmed them before sliding them into the vase along with the other flowers. Once I was done with it, I placed it at the end of the table.

The baby moved, and I placed a hand over my belly.

"What is it?" Henry asked, worriedly. He walked quickly over to me.

"It's nothing." I smiled to assure him. "The baby was kicking just a little bit. Do you want to feel? The baby's still kicking."

He rested his hand on my belly. The smile appeared on his face after feeling the movement of his child. "She's probably excited about the New Year just as we are."

I chuckled. "She? You think it's a girl?"

"I have a feeling it might a girl." He winked playfully and leaned down to kiss me.

A knock sounded on the door. "Sorry, are we interrupting?" Nick said, one hand in a fist over the door while the other with a champagne bottle.

Lily stood behind him, her eyes wide open.

"No, not at all. Come in, Nick and Lily," Henry spoke. I stood up to greet them.

"Henry?" Lily gave Nick a confused look before walking over and hugged my husband. "How? How is this possible? How did you managed to come back from the dead?"

"It's a long story," Henry said to lighten up the atmosphere.

We all laughed softly.

"Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters," Nick said, walking up behind Lily.

"Did you know about this, Nick?" Lily asked her boyfriend.

"I knew only for a while," Nick responded.

"Henry, you made us really think we lost you forever," Lily added.

"I apologize for making you all misunderstand. I truly am."

"Well, Ally," Lily looked over to me, "she never gave up on you, Henry. She always believe you were still alive."

"I know." Henry placed an arm around my shoulder, softly pulling me to him. "She makes me the happiest and luckiest man in the world," he said, glancing at me.

"You two looked so happy together, and also with a baby on the way." Lily looked at us with teary eyes. "I wished you all the best. You both deserve it."

"Thank you, Lily," Henry spoke. "By the way, I heard about you and Nick. Congratulations."

The evening zoomed by. Before we knew it, the clock had ticked midnight and the new year had arrived and gone by.

Everyone except Nick was surprise to see Henry and left with smiles on their faces after seeing their old friend.

When everyone had left, Henry and I put on our coats and closed the conference door to leave. We stepped into the elevator, and Henry pressed the button for the top floor.

I peered at him. "Aren't we leaving, dear?"

Henry smiled. I knew that smile. "There's something I wanted to show you before the night ends."

The elevator opened, and he slipped his warm hand in mine, intertwining our fingers together.

He led me outside to the rooftop of the hotel. It had been a while since we were up here with each other. "Sorry, it might be cold, but it's going to be only for a few minutes," he reassured me with a grin.

"It's okay. A little cold won't hurt me, Henry."

"It's almost time now," Henry said as if we were on a time crunch.

I wondered with excitement what Henry was up to. He never failed to amazed me with his surprise. My man.

We walked further past the cabana and the swimming pool and stopped before the warning line. The lighted skyscrapers of Chicago towered low and high around us in the dark, cloudless night.

Our breaths turned into fleeting, mist clouds as we breathed in this cold January weather.

Henry wrapped his arms over me from behind to make sure I was warm, one hand across my front and the other on my belly. I rested my hands over his.

"Count down with me," Henry whispered in my right ear. "Ten, nine, eight, seven ..."

"Six, five, four, three," I murmured along with him, feeling protected and loved between his safe arms.

"Three, Two, one."

Loud sounds echoed in the air in the distance from all around us. I gazed straight into the distance as a gold burst of fireworks shot into the sky from one of the skyscrapers.

My attention moved to the right, and two more colorful streams exploded from two more building roofs.

On every one of the skyscrapers, golden streams of sparkles jetted into the sky, splattering into beautiful dazzling colors of the rainbow.

My mouth opened in awe. The night sky of Chicago never looked more beautiful than this moment.

My husband always found news ways to intrigue me. He never fails at it.

Henry leaned his chin on my shoulder, observing my amazement at his accomplishment. "Happy New Year! What do you think about the surprise, honey?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you all over again. Thank you. I'm loving every second of this."

"You're welcome." He kissed my cheek.

And just like that, with a few turn of events, everything in our lives started to fall back in place again.

With Henry back by my side, with him close to me at all times, I didn't want anything more in this world.

For he was my love, my life, my everything.

Things were changing for Henry and me and everyone around us. And it may sound scary at first, but I knew it was for the greater good this time.

Adam accepted a promotional job offer to go London for the next two years. I always thought Chicago was too small for his nature. He needed to travel and see the world.

Larry retired from the workforce and for his retirement gift, Henry bought him a new Mercedes Benz and a retirement home.

Violet and Sophia were able to live by themselves without any protection and fear of harm from anyone. Henry and I kept in touch, inviting them over to dinner or visiting them when we could. Sophia tells us they visit Don in prison some times as she didn't want her daughter to forget her father.

Nancy and my mom opened a flower shop together and become close friends again like in the past. They were also our babysitters and was more than willing to babysit when we asked.

Chris obtained his GED and became a student counselor at the high school we went to as kids. In his spare time, he volunteers after school with the Boys and Girls' Club. His primary goal—to lead the younger generation down the right path of life.

Lily and Nick never seemed happier than they are now. After two years of dating, Nick popped the question to her while they were vacationing in Europe, at the same place they spotted each other. Of course, Lily's answer was yes. She immediately called me after the proposal and asked me to be her maid of honor. Nick also asked Henry to be his best man.

Henry returned as president of Pearce Group and introduced a business venture with Horizon Airlines that he and Nick had been discussing for a while. Besides managing work, he was a wonderful father and was always there when I needed him.

And as for me, I went back to school for my Master's in business administration and after graduation, I joined my husband in the family business.

.....

Five Years Later

I peeked into the bedroom. Henry sat on the edge of the little bed and crouched down to our four-year-old son Noah who was fast asleep.

"Wake up, buddy. Are you hungry?"

"Yes," little Noah sleepily murmured.

"Mommy made your favorite breakfast, scrambled eggs and toast." Henry continued to sit on the edge of the little bed, waiting patiently.

"What are we going to do today, daddy?" Noah asked through a yawn.

"Anything you want."

"Can we go fishing?"

"As you wished, but first let's eat some breakfast, okay?"

Little Noah nodded excitedly and got out of bed with his dad's help.

I smiled to myself and went back into the kitchen to set the table with utensils and napkins.

As I waited for them, I decided to pick some wild flowers for the table. The room needed some color.

I picked a colorful array of wild flowers from a patch that grew near the side of the cabin. Back inside, I placed the vase of wild flowers on the dining table.

Noah came running into the kitchen, followed by his dad, who was carrying our two-year-old daughter Scarlet.

"Mommy, mommy!"

"There you three are." I smiled as they walked into the dining room. "Noah, honey, come sit here."

Noah ran up to the seat that I pulled out, and I lifted him into it, placing a kiss on his head. He had messy brown hair just like his daddy along with the same green eyes.

"Daddy's going to take me fishing today!" he said with excitement. "Right, daddy?"

"Yes, we are," Henry replied to his son.

"Really?" I said. "That's going to be fun. I hope you catch a really big fish today."

"I'll do my best," little Noah replied.

"That's the attitude, buddy." I turned to Henry. "Come to mommy, Scarlet?" I held my arm out for my girl.

Scarlet giggled and held out her hand to me. My husband handed her to me before sitting down next to Noah.

I kissed Scarlet on the hair. Noah was a smaller version of Henry but Scarlet, she was me. My one and only little girl. She had my brown eyes and a dimple on one side of her cheeks.

"The flowers look beautiful, honey," Henry mentioned.

"Thank you." I actually got the idea from him, the last time he brought me to his grandfather's cabin.

When Noah finished his breakfast, he asked, "Can we go fishing now, daddy?"

"Yes, buddy. Go put on your shoes. We have to go to the store to buy fishing supplies."

"Yay!" Noah quickly slid off his chair and ran to find his shoes.

Henry softly chuckled, watching his son's excitement. "I know where he gets his excitement from."

This was our fourth year at Henry's grandfather's cabin, keeping the annual trip a tradition in the family.

Henry held Scarlet in his arms while I held onto Noah's hand as we walked on the wood chip trail to the little convenience store. The distance wasn't far from the cabin.

The trail ran alongside a beautiful lake to our left and the mountains stood in the distance, making the scenery even more beautiful in this July weather.

After we came back from the store, Henry took his son out on the family boat named Jennifer. It made me uneasy, seeing my little guy out there in a big body of water, but I knew he was with someone who would protect him at all cost.

I watched my husband and son from the wooden patio in the backyard as I played with my baby girl. She loved it when I sang and re-enacted "The Wheels On The Bus" and "Baby Shark." She would sing along and moved her hands to the song. It was one of the most beautiful moment to treasure as a parent.

"Mommy, mommy, look!" Noah called out as he walked up the stairs onto the patio, followed by Henry. He proudly held a trout out in one hand to me.

"Wow, good job, little guy!" I held one hand up, and he gave me a high-five. "Did you catch it all be yourself?"

"Yes, but with a little help from daddy. He helped me pull it in."

"Very good, daddy." I smiled at Henry.

"Scarlet, look! Big fishy!" Noah held the fish out to his little sister who screamed and ran away. He chased her down with the fish.

"Noah, that's enough now. Your little sister is scared," Henry told Noah.

My husband and I both chuckled at the children. Scarlet ran to me, and I picked her up onto my lap.

"Can we go again tomorrow, daddy?" Noah asked. "I want to catch an even bigger fish."

Henry peered at me with a grin. "If mommy says yes, then we can."

"Please, mommy. Can daddy and me go again tomorrow? Please," Noah pleaded in a cute tone. It was hard to resist what my little boy desire.

"Okay, daddy can take you tomorrow, but go shower now, okay? You two smell stinky, buddy," I teased.

"Okay, mommy," Henry teased back causing to Noah to chuckle at us. Then he took my son inside the cabin to shower and changed.

After dinner, the four of us sat outside on the rocking loveseat on the backyard patio.

"Let's have another one," Henry said, looking at Scarlet sleeping in his arms. He placed a kiss over her little forehead. She moved a little but didn't wake up. "What do you say, honey?"

"I say yes." Noah slept in my arm. I moved strands of hair covering his forehead. "I think we're ready for another one, too. It's about time Noah and Scarlet gets a brother or a sister."

"Shall we put them to bed?" Henry asked.

We went inside the house and tucked in the children before coming back out to the patio.

Henry sat down first on the rocking loveseat and before I could sit, he pulled me onto his lap. His arms circled my waist. Without saying anything, he reached for my hand and left a kiss on it.

"I love you," he murmured.

"Me, too." I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him under the moonlight.

Without a minute or a second's rest, I will always love you, Henry.

We will always grow closer ... forever ... and together.

The end ...

Everyone says love hurts, but that is not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Losing someone hurts. Envy hurts. Everyone gets these things confused with love, but in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all pain and makes someone feel wonderful again. Love is the only thing in this world that does not hurt. ~Liam Neeson

...

To all my readers - THANK YOU for reading this trilogy! I hope you can take away something from this story, whether it may be forgiving someone, trying to find your way out of the dark, falling in and out of love, or just finding your happiness in this journey we call life. Thank you so much!!! -May