She would marry someone else one day.
Not because she stopped loving Damien.
Because the world wouldn't let them be.
Because the spotlight was too bright.
Because the pressure was too much.
And when that day came, the world would watch.
They would judge.
They would choose sides.
And the scandal would be worse than anything Hollywood had ever seen.
But that was later.
Much later.
Right now, they were still basking in the glow.
Right now, they were still together.
Right now, they were still theirs.
---
The one hundred forty-fourth week, the world remembered Damien and Christabel.
Not as criminals.
As heroes.
The press wanted interviews.
The government wanted medals.
The people wanted to thank them.
But all they wanted was each other.
---
The President's announcement came on a Monday.
Not from the White House. From the task force headquarters.
With Damien and Christabel standing beside him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the President said, "I have served this country for eight years. I have fought wars. I have signed laws. I have done my best."
He paused.
"But the best thing I have ever done is meet Damien and Christabel Moreau."
He looked at them.
"They are the future of this country. And when I leave office, I will campaign for Damien Moreau to replace me."
---
The room erupted.
Cameras flashed.
Reporters shouted.
Damien's face was calm.
Christabel's face was still.
The President raised his hand.
"I know this is unconventional. I know this is unexpected. But Damien Moreau is not a politician. He is a leader. And that is what this country needs."
---
The news spread fast.
Within hours, Damien's social media followers exploded.
One point two billion on each platform.
Christabel's too.
Their phones wouldn't stop buzzing.
Their emails wouldn't stop pinging.
Their lives wouldn't stop changing.
Jax walked into the room.
"So, boss, you're running for President."
"I'm not running for anything."
"The President says you are."
"The President is ambitious."
"So are you."
"Same thing."
"Different intention."
---
The EU sent an invitation.
Not to Damien. To both of them.
A state dinner. In Brussels. With leaders from every European country.
Christabel read the letter.
"They want us to come."
"When?"
"Next month."
"Are we going?"
She looked at Damien.
"I don't know."
---
Then came the invitation from Ghana.
Not from the government. From the Asantehene. The King.
And the President of Ghana.
Together.
They had discovered that Damien and Christabel were fifty percent Ghanaian. Fifty percent American.
Their ancestors had come from the Gold Coast.
The land of the Asante.
The land of warriors.
The land of kings.
---
The letter was handwritten.
On gold-embossed paper.
To Damien and Christabel Moreau,
You have made Ghana proud. You have lifted our name in the most powerful country in the world. You have shown that the children of our land can rise to any height.
We offer you an estate. Land. A home. A place to return to.
You are always welcome here.
The Asantehene
The President of Ghana
---
Christabel read the letter three times.
Her hands were shaking.
Her eyes were wet.
Damien took the letter.
Read it.
"We're Ghanaian?"
"We're half Ghanaian."
"We have an estate?"
"We have an estate."
"In Ghana?"
"In Ghana."
---
She started crying.
Not the silent tears.
The kind that came from somewhere deep.
Somewhere that had been hurting for years.
"I never knew."
"Neither did I."
"My mother never told me."
"Neither did mine."
"We have a home."
"We have many homes."
"This one is different."
He pulled her into his arms.
"This one is heritage."
---
That night, Christabel put Lena to bed.
Not Damien. Her.
Lena was full of questions.
"Mama, why are you happy?"
"Because Mama found something."
"What?"
"A home. Far away. Where our family came from."
Lena thought about that.
"Can we go there?"
Christabel smiled.
"Someday, baby. Someday."
---
Damien appeared in the doorway.
"She's asleep?"
"She's dreaming."
"Of what?"
"Of you."
He walked to her.
Took her hand.
"The President wants me to run."
"I know."
"The EU wants us to visit."
"I know."
"Ghana gave us an estate."
"I know."
"Why aren't you surprised?"
She looked at him.
"Because I know who you are."
---
He was quiet for a moment.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The fame. The pressure. The spotlight. It's going to change us."
"It already has."
"It's going to break us."
She looked at him.
"Then we won't let it."
First Line of Chapter 190 (Teaser):
"The one hundred forty-fifth week, Damien and Christabel flew to Ghana. To see the estate. To meet the King. To walk the land of their ancestors. They didn't know that the journey would change everything. They didn't know that the cracks were already forming. They didn't know that the scandal was already waiting."