After years of struggle and separation, you were finally together. Though both of you had changed—you still bore a few side effects from being fused with Golb—but tonight felt peaceful. Maybe now, after everything, you could start finding happiness together.

The house was silent except for the occasional creak and the soft rustle of pages. A soft glow from the bedside lamp cast warm, flickering shadows across the bedroom, while a steaming mug of tea rested on the nightstand, the drink he always made to sooth his nerves.

Simon lay comfortably in bed, his back against a stack of pillows as he read an old book. But even as he read, his mind drifted. I know I probably worry too much, but… he thought, glancing up at the old picture he always had of you. He tried to act as he had before the crown and Golb, to find a sense of normalcy, but his concern for you remained.