Chapter 88

"Thank you for understanding," she said, looking at me seriously.

I could see it in her face. She was grateful. She had been worried that I would get mad, which was both cute and funny at the same time. It made me proud of how I’d handled my reaction because I truly did only want Juliet to be happy. And I could sense it just from holding her close to me that she had reached a level of peace greater than she ever had before.

"I’ll always fight for you to be happy," I said. "You deserve it."

And I meant it. Because something new had clicked inside me at that moment. I didn’t need to feel pressure about anything anymore. We had accumulated enough money to reliably have a multi-million dollar income every year based on interest alone. I could focus on bigger things. Like true happiness. And bringing happiness to the people around me. That, more than anything else, had tremendous appeal. The good life lay before me, stretched out ahead.