CHAPTER SIXTY NINE - Shadows Linger Despite the Light

One evening, as they closed up Montgomery's together, Lucas pulled Ella into a slow dance in the empty restaurant. "What's this for?" Ella laughed, swaying in his arms to the soft music playing from his phone. Lucas smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Just because. Because I love you. Because I'm grateful for you. Because I want to remind you every day how much you mean to me." Ella looked up at him, her heart full. "I love you too, Lucas. More than ever." As they danced in the dim light of the restaurant, both Ella and Lucas knew that while the road hadn't been easy, it had led them exactly where they were meant to be - in each other's arms, stronger for the challenges they had faced, and more in love than ever before. The sun-drenched streets of Willow Creek bustled with the usual mid-morning activity. Ella, pushing a stroller with one-year-old Sophia nestled inside, made her way towards Montgomery's. The restaurant's polished windows gleamed in the sunlight, a testament t