Chapter 8 - The Wedding No One Could Arrange for Us
Adrian proposed without diamonds.
He didn't kneel in a palace.
He didn't hire an orchestra.
He simply stood beside the river.
He handed me a small box.
Inside was my mother's wedding ring.
I cried.
“How did you get this?”
“She gave it to me.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
I looked behind him.
My mother stood on the porch.
Smiling.
I turned back.
Adrian said,
“I don't want you to marry me because I'm protecting you.”
I nodded.
“I want you to marry me because you don't need protection from me.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“Yes.”
Amelia screamed from the porch.
“They said yes!”
Everyone laughed.
Our wedding was small.
Family.
A few trusted friends.
No mafia bosses.
No billionaires.
No cameras.
My mother walked me down the aisle.
Amelia carried flowers.
Adrian stood waiting.
When I reached him, he whispered,
“You look free.”
I smiled.
“I feel free.”
We exchanged vows.
I promised to choose him.
He promised to never mistake love for control.
When we kissed, Amelia cried.
“Finally!”
Everyone laughed.
Later, Adrian danced with her.
I watched.
For years, I had feared men who stood between me and my freedom.
Now I watched one dancing with my daughter and felt nothing but peace.
After the wedding, Adrian took me aside.
“There's something I need to tell you.”
“What?”
He handed me a deed.
The mansion Damian had imprisoned me in.
It had been sold.
The property was now owned by a foundation.
A shelter for women and children escaping abuse.
I stared at the document.
“You did this?”
“We did.”
I hugged him.
That mansion had been a symbol of fear.
May you like
Now it would become a place of escape.
A place where nobody would have to wonder whether freedom was possible.
