Chapter 14 - The Second Wedding Was Nothing Like the First—Because This Time Chiara Walked Down the Aisle Alive, and Our Daughter Carried the RingsThe ceremony took place in the same ballroom.
Mia carried the rings.
She wore a white dress.
Lucas, one of the rescued children, stood beside her.
Giulia cried.
Valentina cried.
Even Marco looked uncomfortable.
Chiara walked toward me.
Alive.
Healthy.
Beautiful.
I couldn't stop smiling.
When she reached me, she whispered:
"Still scared?"
"Terrified."
"Good."
We laughed.
I promised her I would never let silence come between us again.
She promised never to disappear without telling me again.
Mia looked up.
"Are you married now?"
Chiara laughed.
"Again."
Mia nodded.
"Good."
Then she whispered:
"Can I have cake?"
Everyone laughed.
That night, after the guests left, Chiara and I stood by the piano.
She touched the lid.
"Do you know what I regret?"
"What?"
"That I hid the cassette here."
"Why?"
"Because it took a child to find it."
I smiled.
"Maybe that's why it survived."
She looked at me.
"Maybe."
Then she touched my hand.
"The dead can leave messages."
"Apparently."
"But the living have to answer them."
May you like
I kissed her.
And for the first time, the past felt truly buried.
