Chapter 10 - Dawn of the Divided
Six Months Later
The wind howling off the coast was bitter, but neither sister shivered as they stood before the simple marble headstone. It read: Arthur Vance. A Watchmaker. A Father. Restored to the Light.
The fall of the Astor empire had been the most sensational trial of the decade. Eleanor was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for kidnapping, fraud, and the orchestration of Arthur's murder. The fortune had been seized, tied up in decades of federal litigation, leaving the twins with nothing but their father’s meager, recovered savings.
And it was more than enough.
"Do you miss it?" Lyra asked, adjusting the collar of her worn denim jacket. "The silk sheets. The endless money."
Seraphina looked down at her own plain sweater and jeans. She felt the heavy, comforting weight of the silver pocket watch resting against her chest. She had polished it until it shone.
"I miss absolutely nothing about a cage," Seraphina replied, a genuine smile touching her lips. "I prefer the real world. Even when it's muddy."
Lyra smiled back, bumping her shoulder against her sister's. They were identical in face, but their scars were different. One bore the bruises of the streets, the other the psychological wounds of a gilded prison. Yet, standing side-by-side, they were finally whole.
May you like
"Come on," Lyra said, turning away from the grave and looking toward the bustling city skyline in the distance. "We have a shop to open. Father's tools aren't going to use themselves."
Together, they walked away from the graveyard, leaving the shadow of the Astor dynasty behind them forever, stepping firmly into a future they would build with their own hands.
