The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was soothing, almost hypnotic. Alessia stood on the cliff's edge, her heart no longer heavy with the memories that had once trapped her. She had come to the ocean for peace, and for the first time, she found it. The sky stretched endlessly before her, a soft gradient of colours fading into twilight.

Alessia had spent so many years running from herself, trying to escape the trauma that had defined her existence for so long. But now, standing at the precipice of a new chapter, she was no longer running. She was facing her future head-on, ready to take whatever came next.

It was hard to articulate the depth of the change within her. It had come slowly—bit by bit—over the years, as she allowed herself to heal, to forgive, and to grow. The woman who had once been broken, whose soul had been shattered by the things she couldn't control, had become something different. Something whole. She wasn't afraid anymore.

Behind her, the soft crunch of footsteps on the gravel signalled the arrival of her brothers. They had given her space tonight, knowing she needed it. But they hadn't left her alone, not for one moment. Giovanni stood closest to her, his silent strength a constant in her life.

"Everything okay?" Giovanni asked, his voice as familiar as the sound of her heartbeat.

Alessia smiled softly. "I think it is," she said quietly. "For the first time in a long time, I think I'm okay."

He nodded, understanding without needing her to explain further. This was a moment she had earned. She had fought for it.

As the moon rose higher in the sky, Alessia felt a sense of completeness she had never known before. She had faced her past and her demons and emerged stronger. There was still work to be done, of course. Healing was a lifelong process. But Alessia was no longer defined by what had been done to her. She was her own person now, with her own future.

And as the wind whispered around them, she knew the journey was just beginning.