Before Thomas Shelby became the king of Birmingham, there was Elsie Hayes - the girl three doors down who carried grief like an old friend and stitched her life back together in quiet, stubborn ways.
Their love wasn't built on promises or grand gestures - it was forged through blood, smoke, and the brutal certainty that neither of them would ever belong to anyone else.
From the muddy streets of Small Heath to the soft hush of the Hayes house, they built something rare: a life stitched together out of everything the world tried to tear apart. Even when death came, even when the war never truly ended, one truth remained, Elsie was his only peace, and Thomas was her only home.
"You were my only peace."