Chapter 9 - The Wedding Without Secrets
We got married in the garden.
No black suits surrounding the guests.
No hidden weapons under jackets.
No secret deals.
No coded messages.
Just family.
Friends.
People who had survived.
People who had helped us heal.
Matteo walked me down the aisle.
His steps were careful.
His smile was huge.
When he reached me, he whispered,
"Don't cry."
"I can't promise."
He rolled his eyes.
"You cry too much."
Then Clara appeared.
She wore a simple white dress.
Elena walked beside her.
Sofia carried flowers.
And for one impossible second, I remembered the man I had been before the explosion.
Paranoid.
Angry.
Alone.
Then I looked at Clara.
And I realized I didn't miss him.
During the vows, Clara took my hands.
"You were once the man who watched every door because you were afraid someone would enter."
I smiled.
She continued.
"Now you're the man who opens doors."
My throat tightened.
"I never thought I'd trust anyone again."
I said.
"Then you ran into me."
She laughed.
"In fairness, I was standing still."
Everyone laughed.
I continued.
"You taught me that protecting someone doesn't mean keeping them inside a cage."
I squeezed her hands.
"It means standing beside them when the door opens."
Her eyes filled with tears.
We exchanged rings.
We kissed.
Matteo applauded louder than everyone.
After the ceremony, we danced.
Elena sat with Sofia in her arms.
Daniel gave a speech.
Silian gave an even shorter speech because he hated speaking.
Then Dominic raised his glass.
"To Vincent and Clara."
Everyone drank.
I looked at Clara.
"Are you happy?"
She smiled.
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Really."
She rested her head against my chest.
"Are you?"
I thought about the mansion.
The bomb.
The hidden cameras.
The hospital.
The fear.
The revenge.
Then I thought about Matteo walking.
Elena laughing.
Sofia sleeping.
Clara beside me.
"More than I ever thought possible."
Later that night, after the guests left, Clara and I stood alone in the garden.
The lights hung above us.
The house behind us was still.
For once, I didn't feel the need to check the monitors.
I didn't need to know who was outside.
I knew.
Family.
I looked at Clara.
"Can I tell you something embarrassing?"
"Always."
"I still sometimes want to turn on camera four."
She laughed.
"Why?"
"Because that's the first place I saw Matteo smile."
She squeezed my hand.
"You don't need the camera."
"I know."
"Go look at him."
I nodded.
We entered the house.
We walked to Matteo's room.
He was asleep.
His wheelchair sat beside the bed.
His braces were on the floor.
A drawing lay on his desk.
It showed four people.
Me.
Clara.
Elena.
And Matteo.
Above us was a little yellow sun.
I picked it up.
"What do you think?"
Clara smiled.
"Perfect."
I looked at the drawing again.
No cameras.
No fear.
No secrets.
Just a family.
May you like
I hung it on the wall.
And for the first time since the bombing, I slept without checking the monitors.
