Chapter 9

Three years after that terrible morning, David proposed.

We were in my condo. The balcony. The sunset. He didn't get down on one knee. He just took my hand and said, "Rachel Bennett, I know you said you might never want to get married again. And I respect that. But I have to ask—because I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

I didn't cry. I didn't hesitate.

"Yes," I said. "Yes, I will."

We had a small wedding. In the garden of the shelter we'd built for The 5:03 Project. My sister was my maid of honor. Maria was a bridesmaid. Janet gave a speech that made everyone cry.

I kept my name. Rachel Bennett. David didn't mind. He said it suited me.

We moved into a house together. Small. Cozy. With a garden. And a guest room—but only for people we actually wanted to visit.

No mother-in-law suites. Ever.

I continued running Bennett & Associates. Continued running The 5:03 Project. Continued fighting.

David and I traveled. We cooked together—because I wanted to, not because I had to. We argued about what to watch on TV. We laughed. We lived.

And I was happy. Truly, deeply, lastingly happy.

Sometimes, I'd wake up at 5:03 in the morning. Not from a nightmare. Just… awake. And I'd look at David sleeping beside me. At the peaceful house. At the life I'd built.

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And I'd smile.

Because 5:03 wasn't a moment of fear anymore. It was a moment of freedom. The moment I'd said no. The moment I'd fought back. The moment I'd taken my life back.