EPILOGUE III

VIVIENNE

It was never too late to rise up again after you’ve hit rock bottom. I’d learned that lesson over and over, but standing here now, it finally felt real.

So many times, I thought that scandal with Aton would destroy everything I’d worked for. I worried people would only ever see me as the woman caught up in a messy scheme, but here I was, with a new chapter in front of me.

This was my second chance—not just to clear my name, but to make it stronger than ever.

Viatrix. That name still had power, still had life.

I looked around the room, taking in all the smiles and congratulatory handshakes. Ezekiel and I had just launched our fashion line that we had been working on, and the event couldn’t have gone any better.

Everywhere I turned, there were people celebrating with us, praising the collection, the designs, the way we had merged our ideas and brought something beautiful to life.

For the first time in a long time, I felt truly proud of myself and what I had accomplished ag