Page 17 of The Beast Between Us (Once Upon A Forever #2)

Ella

Hello again.

My name is Ella. But, I’m sure you know that by now.

And this was the story of how I fell in love with a monster.

Only, he was never the monster the world believed him to be.

He was simply a man who had forgotten how to hope.

And I… well, I was a girl who thought she’d never be free.

But together, we learned.

We were married in the rose garden, beneath petals that hadn’t bloomed in years. And as we spoke our vows, the earth awakened. What was once dead and gray now bursts with color and life…reds, golds, blues. Even the grass feels softer beneath bare feet.

Oswin cried that day. Said he hadn’t seen his friend smile like that in over a decade.

He still insists on bringing a calming tea every evening, even though Thorne says it’s unnecessary. The little teacup with the small chip on the rim now sits on the windowsill right beside the black and red rose I plucked years ago. It’s never lost its bloom.

We’re expecting our first child now.

Thorne talks to the baby when he thinks I’m asleep. He tells it stories in that low rumble of his voice, the one that always makes me feel safe.

I pretend not to hear just so I can listen longer.

With the curse lifted, Thorne and his Beast can change at will now. They no longer battle for control. I love spending time with the wolf just as much as I love spending time with Thorne. They are both equally important to me.

Some days, I sit in the garden with my hands on my belly, feeling the warmth of the sun and the hum of life all around us. I think about the past…about what it took to get here…and I smile.

Because this isn’t a story of curses or monsters.

It’s a story of survival.

Of healing.

Of love that refused to give up.

So no, it’s not quite a fairy tale.

But it is mine.

The beauty who fell in love with the Beast.

And you know what happened next?

We lived happily ever after, of course.

The End