𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐃 | 𝐃. 𝐃𝐢𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨 |

031/EPILOGUE

SAY GOODBYE (The Final Chapter)
- THIRD PERSON NARRATIVE -

Several years passed—exactly ten years—and everyone was gathered in San Francisco, California singing happy birthday to London, Serenity and Donte's daughter. She was turning nine years old, while her older brother, Landon was now 10, Deuce was 16 and Malachi was 14.

Each couple was smiling down at the ginger-haired girl as she closed her eyes tightly, coming up with a wish before blowing out her birthday candles, causing for her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and brothers to clap their hands for her causing a wide smile that was identical to Donte's spread across her face.

"What did you wish for, Lo?" Landon asked, ruffling his little sisters hair.

London shook her head and made a motion as if she were sipping her lips and throwing away the key. "I can't tell you. Mommy said that if you tell a wish then it won't come true. So I'm not telling you."

Deuce grinned and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Lo. Just let me get some of that cake."

Jayson cut Deuce a piece of cake, handing it to him on a plate. Deuce took the plate and smiled down at London mischievously as he chuckled to himself.

"Lo, I apologize in advance..." Deuce said.

Before London could respond, Deuce mushed the slice of cake into London's face, causing for everyone to gasp and double over with laughter; and just like that, London was up and throwing cake at her brothers and cousins.

The adults smiled widely as they watched their kids who were just a second generation version of themselves, which is how they knew, that they're lives were going to be similar to theirs, but a possibly a little more complicated than theirs. But they had confidence that they would know how to navigate the world a little better because they would be there to stop them from having to go through as much they have been though.

Infinity did mean never ending...right?

****

- SERENITY PAYTON -
(10 Years Later)

It was currently 2:30 in the morning and everyone was asleep, but for some reason, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go down to the kitchen and get a snack and maybe start on some work since I had decided to get back into my modeling and having my own modeling agency.

The moment I had walked into the kitchen, I saw London and Landon sitting down at the kitchen table, they each had a glass of orange juice as they had their heads bent over a book, looking as if they were towards the end of the book they had been reading and had stayed up all night in order to finish it.

"Why are you two up?" I asked, laughing a little.

Both of my ginger-haired children popped their heads up and gave me equally guilty looks as their identical smiles formed on their faces.

"Uhh...we couldn't sleep?" London said, but it came off as more of a question.

Landon rolled his eyes. "You're a terrible liar."

I laughed and sat down across from them, pouring myself a glass of orange juice and immediately recognized the cover of the book that they were reading.

They were reading Infinity. I wondered if they put the pieces together...

"Where'd you find that book?" I asked with a grin.

"We were in your office and we found it," Landon explained with a shrug. "We've been reading it for about two weeks now and we're finally at the end!"

London nodded excitedly. "Yeah! And I really wanna see how it ends, please don't make us go to bed!"

"Mind if I read it with you?" I asked, scooting my chair closer to them.

"Sure you can." Landon said, inching the book over so I could read as well.

Smiling, I began reading the ending—as if I hadn't already memorized it by heart—and smiled, remembering that entire last day that the entire group had shared together before Asia, Juan and Amour left The Bay. My eyes moved away from the page and I looked over at Landon and London who's eyes were filling with tears that they quickly wiped away.

"This is so beautiful..." London sobbed, cupping her hand over her mouth.

"It is, isn't it?" I said with a soft smile.

"Who is this even about?" Landon asked, wiping his eyes.

Before I could respond, Donte came around the corner and raised his eyebrows in amusement, I could tell he was wondering what we were all doing awake at two thirty in the morning. He grinned as he walked over to us and sat down at the table. His eyes landed on the book and he laughed shaking his head.

"They're finally reading it, huh?" He asked with a smile.

I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. "Yeah, they are."

"Have they realized who it's about yet?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all..." I giggled. "Give them a few moments."

Donte and I sat there waiting to see if our kids were going to put two and two together or if it would take a little more time for them to understand what the book was about. But, they were so engrossed with the book that I believed they could figure it out if they thought hard enough and thought about all the stories that Donte and I had told them down the years.

Slowly, I could see the realization forming on their faces as the two looked up at us slowly. They're eyes widened and they both let out high pitched screams and began running around the kitchen like their hair was on fire.

After running around the kitchen three times, they came back and pointed at us and then at the book; then back at us and back at the book. Their mouths were wide open and their eyes were wide with shock.

"ITS ABOUT YOU TWO!" Landon exclaimed, as he and London jumped up and down.

"How did we not realize that?" London gasped. "It was so clear!"

Donte nodded. "Yep, your Aunt Amour wrote this book about your mother and I as we were, I guess you can say, growing together."

"You guys have the best love story ever!" Landon said, still shaking his head in disbelief. "Wait...what does infinity mean?"

Donte grinned. "Infinity means—."

****

- THIRD PERSON NARRATIVE -

"—never ending. And that's what their love was. It was unbreakable, immovable, and completely and utterly never ending. Infinity."

Amour shut the book and looked into the crowd of people that were sitting before her, holding her books to their chests, looking at her as if they had been holding onto her every word as she finished reading the novel she had written.

One by one, each person began clapping and erupted into cheers, causing for a relieved smile to form on her face. She looked out into the crowd and saw the people she loved the most smiling and clapping for her the loudest as they held the book up and danced around.

Most importantly, she looked at Serenity and Donté, who had inspired her to write this book and was overwhelmed with emotions seeing the proud smiles of approval on their faces.

It was moments like this when they all realized that nothing would ever change between them. The love they had was strong. They were all one big family that loved and supported one another. They laughed together, cried together, won together and lost together, but the thing was...they could never lose as long as they had each other.

After all, Donté and Serenity's love wasn't the only love that would last for Infinity. The family bond that they all shared would last longer...

To infinity...and Beyond..

****

END OF BEYOND!