Author's Note: Okay, I took a day off, then came back and reread my own story from start to finish for the first time. It was then I realized I desperately needed to at least mention what happened to everyone after that last chapter. I apologize to anyone who felt a little shortchanged by the previous ending, as well as my declaration to end it, just to put this up a few days later. No need for those of you who faithfully review and gave me great feedback on the last chapter to review again. I don't wanna fudge my count (and I'm totally speechless by it already. Over 400? Woooooooooow!!) Now for those who mentioned things they thought needed to be fixed or changed or didn't fit, please email me or leave an email address if you decided to review and don't have an FP account. I'd really like to talk more about it so I can see where I can improve. And I say again, if anyone has constructive criticism for me, please don't be shy! I've been through a professional editor before, so believe me, I can take honest feedback. Let me have it so the next story I write is even better. Thank you all!!

Epilogue

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In case you’re wondering, my father-in-law got two years in a minimum security prison before getting out on probation. Though the sentence is less than many would have gotten, I consider it a wash, since he also got booted from his position in the company. Ironically, after his release, he became our responsibility. He’s not making out too bad, although his new budget is certainly meager compared to what he was used to years ago.

Robbie never had to go to jail. In fact he never went to court. He stayed in the hospital for two months. By then we understood he may never fully recover from his injuries, so I dropped my charges against him. Robbie’s doing better after a few years of one-on-one therapy, but it’ll be a long time before he’s in a position to try independent living again. In those terms, I think he too has been punished enough.

Brian also got off easy. Had Robbie been indicted, Brian would have been charged as an accessory. He could have still been tried, but I just wanted him to disappear from our lives. I still think of all the people who acted against us, that one hurts me the most. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to Devon. I have to imagine it actually, because Devon still to this day refuses to approach the subject.

If there’s one good thing I can name which came out of this, it was what happened to the rest of Devon’s family. My goal had been to free us, but what we did had a ripple effect I had not foreseen.

Vivian Dunn was the first woman in his family to file for a divorce, and thanks to the exposure of their lives as a whole, she was able to get a judge to throw out her prenuptial agreement. After that, all but one of the women married to Devon’s brothers followed his mother’s lead.

Naomi, Greg’s wife, stayed. Devon was surprised she chose to stick around, despite the get-out-of-jail-free card his mother’s divorce gave everyone. Maybe it’s just the innocent optimist in me, but I saw her a few times during the shakeup, and I think she chose to stay out of love. Don’t get me wrong, both she and Greg still shamelessly sleep around, but at the end of the day (or night as the case may be) they come back to each other.

As for Majorie, she’s a full-fledged designer now with boutiques in New York, London, Milan, Beverly Hills, Paris, and of course Atlanta. I’m not the only one wearing one of her originals at red carpet events anymore either. I do however still get to see her new stuff before anyone else, which is a neat little perk. Yes, I still think things like being related to famous fashion designer is cool.

Eva’s still around, and in a big way. A few months ago she became the newest addition to the Dunn family, marrying Devon’s brother Vernon. Needless to say, Devon is less than happy with her association as his sister-in-law. I would quote his initial reaction, but I’d rather not repeat that many cuss words all at one time. I got a kick out of it, personally, but that’s just me. Deep down I think Devon doesn’t mind so much either, even though Eva still gives him a hard time whenever the opportunity presents itself.

My mom is another one who’s around a lot. It took a while for me to really get over her part in what happened, but she’s my mom. I don’t have any better excuse for forgiving her than that. Well, she loves Devon too. Sometimes I think he’s the real reason she comes up and visits so much nowadays. It’s nice though. My mom likes my husband, and my husband gets to enjoy all the benefits of a fussy, overprotective mother for the first time in his life. It makes him appreciate how I turned out that much more.

Speaking of my husband, he never faced any type of judicial repercussions from his altercation with Robbie. I’m sure part of it was due to the circumstances, but I think another factor may have been public opinion. I mean, the entire ordeal had been broadcast to the media within the house, and they in turn passed it on to the public. In one day Devon went from a wealthy bachelor to hero. His status elevated even higher when articles related to the history of both our families starting running. I heard more than once over the following days from analysts and personal contacts both, legal action against him could have caused a riot. As it was, the hospital had to sneak us out when I was released just to avoid the massive crowd of supporters who surrounded the front half of the building and filled the parking lot.

Eventually the media attention subsided, though it took nearly six months before our names being mentioned was no longer a daily occurrence. I went to school despite the chaos I had instigated and got my degree, then went on to get my MBA. Aside from working with Devon from time to time, I don’t do much marketing in the traditional sense. I started channeling my education and unique experience into several causes I believe in instead.

Devon ended up being offered and accepting the CEO position on the board of the family’s company, but he asked that Greg stay on as President. Greg handles day-to-day executive duties, so it gave Devon the chance to do what he always wanted. He’s teaching core level Microeconomics. Of course he got all sorts of offers for professorships within specialized programs, but he said he remembered hating his first economics classes because they were so boring. He hoped he could make it bearable for his students.

I suppose it’s working, though I have a sneaky suspicion part of his popularity is based on his celebrity. And there’s the fact his classes are largely made up of females. Not that I blame those girls. Between his looks and the accent, I wouldn’t have minded seeing him in front of me three times a week, that’s for sure!

So ends my personal fairy tale. No dragons or evil monsters, Robbie and his dad withstanding. I had Majorie and Eva rather than fairy godparents, but Majorie does design some beautiful dresses, and it never hurts to have a volatile redhead on your side when things get rough. And of course, I could never forget my prince. Sure, Devon has issues and a few flaws, but then again, don’t we all?

Of course these are just the highlights of what’s happened since we won our freedom from the tyranny of our families. I could probably go on and on about our life as newlyweds. The adjustments we had to make (and yes, we still had plenty). Redefining the way we perceived ourselves and dealt with each other as husband and wife. Realizing just because we had gone through a lot, it didn’t automatically mean we wouldn’t have to work hard to maintain our marriage.

No, just because we moved the mountain doesn’t mean there isn’t another one right behind it. But once you’ve moved one and seen the rewards, you can replace insecurity with confidence. I mean, when I think about the fact Devon risked his future for me and I nearly died for him, it seems pretty stupid to get anal about the little things which can devastate a lot of couples.

Yes, a lot has happened to us and between us since that day, but every fairy tale has to end, even the real ones. So in that spirit, I’ll tell you this.

Devon and I are living happily ever after.

Boy, that sounds nice. Of course, when it comes to the reality of “happily ever after”...well, that’s another story.