«And now the bride will gift her business to the groom!» — the emcee announced at the mother-in-law’s request, but instead of the deed, I played the video and the mother-in-law had to flee through the back door…….

And that’s my victory. Beeps. Three days later, the court officially declared the deal invalid.

Ashley disappeared. Ethan tried to appeal, but unsuccessfully. All evidence lay on the table.

Including those provided by their former partner. Anna opened the doors of her cafe again. It had changed.

She had changed. People started returning. Not immediately.

Not quickly. But they returned. One evening, a girl approached her.

Young. Nervous. With a box of documents in hand.

Are you Anna Thompson? Yes. They told me you’re the one who isn’t afraid to go to the end. I have a similar story.

I don’t know what to do. But you did it. So maybe I can too? Anna looked at her.

And suddenly everything she went through became justified. For this moment. For those who would find strength in her for themselves.

Let’s sit down. Tell me everything from the beginning. And somewhere deep down, one unresolved detail remained.

The last letter from Ethan. Without threats. Without requests.

You were right. But even truth is sometimes too painful to accept. Good luck to you.

Sincerely. Anna stared at the screen for a long time. Then simply deleted the letter.

Sometimes the best answer is silence. The cafe now smelled different. Not just coffee and vanilla, but something else, something new that couldn’t be described.

Either freedom or air after a storm. Anna sat by the window, where she once dreamed with Ethan. Then this table seemed like a beginning.

And now just a place where she could breathe. Many left. Some without words, others with explanations that had more fear than anger.

Some didn’t return at all. The business, though legally restored, was still battered. Client trust had to be rebuilt, brick by brick.

Suppliers now demanded prepayment, banks – guarantees. Laughter that used to be light now sounded cautious. But she remained.

And that was more important than anything. Sometimes that same girl with the box of documents came in. Smiled uncertainly, helped at the register, learned from others’ mistakes.

She had something of the old Anna, naive and brave, and something of the current one, patient, stubborn, and ready to take a hit. Once, while cleaning old folders in the office, Anna came across a note.

The paper was yellowed, the handwriting familiar. It was a note written before the wedding, when everything seemed real. If we ever forget why we started all this, remember how you glowed when you told me about your first coffee.

I then understood that in you is home period. She held the paper in her hands like someone else’s heart. No tears.

Only a light, piercing gratitude that she no longer lived in illusion. Illusions can be sweet, but they don’t warm. Don’t save when it’s cold.

Ashley, as expected, disappeared. Rumors said she went abroad, supposedly to build a new career. But even if so, her trace remained.

In those evenings when Anna recounted the revenue and thought about who to trust now. In those snowy mornings when she had to get up earlier to check the accounting herself. And in those pauses when she wanted to share fatigue, and no one was there.

Ethan didn’t try to return. Only one letter. But sometimes she caught herself thinking how he would act in some situation.

And it annoyed her. Not because she missed him. But because his trace was still inside.

Like an old tattoo, faded but not gone. Her mother came unexpectedly. Without warning.

With a suitcase and a pie. I thought maybe it’d be easier for you if someone is around. Anna didn’t know what to answer…