He reached out, cupping her cheek with a tenderness that spoke volumes of his enduring affection. 

“You deserve all the happiness in the cosmos, Cheryl. And Louis… he’s a lucky man. He’s found someone who can see past his shadows, someone who can bring light to his darkest corners. Don’t ever let that go.”

A tear escaped her eye, tracing a path down her cheek. “Dennis,” she whispered, leaning into his touch for a moment. “Thank you. For everything. For seeing me, for fighting for me, for being you.”

He nodded, his own eyes a little misty. “It was my pleasure. Truly.” 

He dropped his hand, and the space between them felt suddenly vast, filled with unspoken goodbyes and the promise of a different future. “I’ll be around for the gala, of course. And then… I might take a long overdue vacation. Clear my head. Find some new constellations to admire.”

“I’ll miss you,” she said, meaning it with all her heart.

“And I, you,” he replied. He offered her a final, genuine smile, one that held no bitterness, only a profound, quiet acceptance. 

“Go on, Cheryl. Go make magic. The cosmos awaits.”

He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod towards Louis, then turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing softly in the quiet hall. He didn’t look back.

Cheryl watched him go, a pang of sadness mingling with the overwhelming joy in her heart. Dennis was a good man, a truly good man, and she would always cherish him. 

But as she turned back to Louis, who was now walking towards her, his dark eyes alight with a fierce, protective love, she knew, with absolute certainty, that she had chosen the right path. Her heart, once torn between a steady star and a fiery nebula, had found its true home in the brilliant, complex, and utterly captivating light of Louis. 

The cosmos, indeed, awaited. And she was ready to explore it, hand in hand with him.