FULL NOVELXO Chapter The Wrong Fiancée: Epilogue
Since Elika was able to transfer her credits from the University of Hawaii, it took her only three years to earn a Bachelor’s in Art History from NYU.
We all gathered at Le Bernardin in New York to celebrate her graduation. Duncan and Elsa had flown in from Paris, while Damian and Emilia made the trip from San Francisco. Mom and Dad, who had been traveling, caught a flight from Prague to be there for the graduation ceremony and dinner.
We had hoped Noe would be able to join us, but she couldn’t. She had promised, though, to make it up to her sister when she returned to Kauai. Noe had changed in ways I hadn’t dared to hope for. She was thriving—truly thriving.
Thanks to the treatment at Ka Pono, along with her personal care and therapy sessions, she’d gained more mobility than we ever imagined. More importantly, she’d gained a sense of independence. Noe wasn’t just surviving anymore, she was living. She had even found a job she loved, managing a small spa in Līhuʻe. It wasn’t just a job—it was her lifeline. She was reconnecting with people, feeling useful again, and rebuilding her confidence. The bitterness that had once clouded every conversation between us had softened, replaced by something closer to peace.
Elika and Noe had repaired their relationship, which was better than it had ever been, but what surprised me was that I had a damn good relationship with my sister-in-law—we’d become friends.
Elika looked radiant in a sleek, navy dress that hugged her figure just enough to leave me struggling to focus on anything else. Her smile hadn’t left her face since we’d walked into the restaurant, and I loved seeing her so fucking happy. This night was hers.
Le Bernardin was an Archer family favorite for celebrations. It was elegant, with dim lighting, soft jazz in the background, and walls lined with rich wood paneling. The food was plated like art itself, delicate and precise, and tasted like heaven.
‘Dad, Mom, just pick a wine, will you?’ Duncan snapped as our parents endlessly debated left-bank versus right-bank Bordeaux.
All the kids were at the Archer apartment with a nanny so the adults could have some time without worrying, as Elsa put it, ‘about spit-ups, oui?’
‘Congratulations, Elika.’ Duncan raised his glass as the conversation started to slow. ‘Summa cum laude from NYU. That’s fucking impressive.’
‘I can’t believe I did it,’ Elika exclaimed, picking up her glass and clinking it to Duncan’s.
‘Of course you did it,’ Mom said. ‘You’re smarter than most people I know.’
‘That’s high praise coming from Marcella,’ Emilia declared.
‘You know what makes me happy?’ Mom raised her glass. ‘That the Archer tradition of the men marrying women who are smarter and better than them continues.’
‘I started this tradition,’ Dad declared proudly.
The first course arrived—beautifully plated tuna tartare with caviar and micro greens, followed by seared scallops in a truffle beurre blanc sauce.
I watched Elika take her first bite, her eyes lighting up as she tasted the flavors, her lips curving into that smile that still knocked the wind out of me, even after all these years.
Damian leaned over the table, raising an eyebrow. ‘So, have you thought about working full-time for us?’
Elika had been interning for Archer Arts & Antiquities, and Damian wanted her to work for us and, eventually, take over the art authentication department.
Elika looked at me, and I nodded. ‘Damian, I’m sorry, I—’
‘Fuck no,’ Damian growled at me. ‘Dante fucking hired you for Giordano Resorts, didn’t he?’
Elika looked sheepishly at him. ‘I’m sorry. But that’s…that’s what I want to do. My focus is island art, and I get to curate for the Giordano resorts in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands and—’
‘Stop trying to make him feel better,’ Emilia cut Elika off. ‘She can do whatever she wants to do, Mr. CEO.’
‘You won’t work for us,’ Damian muttered, looking at his wife, who was an artist and art restorer. ‘And neither will Elika. We need to make sure our kids know they have to take over the fucking family business.’
‘Why?’ Duncan asked. ‘It’s just business. It’s not the family.’
Elsa kissed her husband soundly on his lips. ‘My husband is so wise.’
I kissed the side of Elika’s head as I slid an arm around her. ‘I love you, and I’m very proud of you,’ I whispered as the others talked.
She sank into me. ‘You have no idea how much that means to me. No one has ever….’ She sniffled.
‘What did you do?’ Dad flashed me an angry look. ‘Why is she upset?’
‘Not upset…just….” Elika choked on her words. I rubbed her back. ‘I’m overwhelmed. You all…you’re here to celebrate me. And it’s…no one has ever….’ She turned into my arms, and I held her as she sobbed softly.
‘Now, baby, you’ve got to stop crying.’
She sniffled. ‘I’m trying.’
God damn it!
‘Baby, please.’
She looked at me then, and I wiped her tears. ‘I’m sorry.‘
‘Nothing to be sorry about,’ I told her. ‘I just don’t want you to cry right now. Or ever.’
She looked at me, confused.
I sighed.
The whole evening I’d been feeling the small velvet box in my jacket pocket, and now it was so fucking heavy it was almost unbearable.
I reached for her hand under the table. She looked at me, her brow furrowing slightly in curiosity.
I stood up, my heart pounding in my chest, and suddenly the table quieted. Everyone looked at me, conversations halting mid-sentence. I didn’t care. All that mattered was her. They didn’t know I was going to do this tonight. I hadn’t told a soul except Noe since she wasn’t going to be here, which was why I’d made sure our server knew when to start recording us so we could share this moment with Elika’s sister.
‘Baby.’ I winked at her. ‘Three years ago, I told you we were a team. That whatever happened, we’d do it together.’
She blinked, her lips parting slightly in surprise, her hand still in mine.
‘And now,’ I continued, ‘I want us to keep building that life, that team. Now, I want to do it as your husband.’
A collective gasp went around the table, but I barely registered it. I pulled out the ring from my pocket—simple but elegant, just like her—and held it up to her.
‘You like?’
‘I love,’ she responded, her face lit up.
‘It was the smallest diamond I could find in the jewelry store.’
She arched an eyebrow. ‘It doesn’t look that small.’
‘Small enough without actually disappearing.’ I gave an exaggerated sigh.
‘Is he proposing to her or talking carats?’ Mom mused.
‘Let him take his time,’ Dad chimed in.
‘How long is he going to take? I need to go pee,’ Emilia added.
‘Everyone is a fucking comedian in this family,’ I muttered. ‘Elika, baby, before my family can make this occasion any weirder than they already have, will you marry me?’
Elika laughed. ‘If we don’t make it, I get custody of the family.’
‘Say yes to marrying me first, and then we can talk divorce.’ I put the ring on her finger. It fit like a dream. ‘Well?’
‘I can’t wait to marry you,’ she told me, her eyes bright. ‘I…this is everything.’
‘No crying,’ I warned her.
She gave me a watery smile. ‘Nothing can top this day.’
‘Oh, baby, let me take you back home, and I’ll make sure to do that,’ I said salaciously.
She glared at me for a moment, her eyes wide, and then, slowly, a smile broke across her face, lighting up the entire room.
‘Well, then,’ she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion, ‘take me home.’