Chapter 9 - The Wedding We Should Have Had
A year passed.
The city changed.
The harbor changed.
And so did we.
Roman sold the remaining businesses tied to his family's criminal history.
He rebuilt his company around legitimate shipping, logistics, and maritime security.
My inheritance became a foundation supporting families damaged by organized crime.
My mother opened a small bookstore.
Grant worked with lawyers helping former employees escape criminal networks.
None of us pretended the past didn't exist.
We simply stopped allowing it to define us.
Roman and I remained married.
But something was missing.
Not love.
Not trust.
A beginning.
Our first wedding had been a transaction.
So one spring morning, Roman asked me to meet him at Saint Matthew's Cathedral.
I walked inside.
The cathedral was empty.
No politicians.
No judges.
No criminals.
No cameras.
Only sunlight.
Roman stood at the altar.
He wore a simple black suit.
No bodyguards.
No weapons.
When I approached him, he smiled.
“You look beautiful.”
“I wore this dress because I wanted to.”
He looked at me.
The dress was sleeveless.
My scars were visible.
He understood.
“You ready?”
“Yes.”
A small group of people sat behind us.
My mother.
Grant.
Marcus.
A few friends.
No one else.
Roman held my hands.
“The first time I stood here with you, I promised nothing.”
“You threatened me.”
“I did.”
“You were terrible at romance.”
“I've improved.”
“A little.”
He laughed.
Then his face became serious.
“I cannot promise you that life will always be peaceful.”
“I don't need that.”
“I cannot promise I will never make mistakes.”
“I don't need that either.”
“I can promise that I will never use fear to make you stay.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“I promise to tell you the truth even when it costs me.”
He placed a ring on my finger.
Not the original.
A new one.
The gold ring he had given me by the harbor was still there.
This one matched it.
I looked at him.
“My turn.”
He smiled.
“I choose you.”
His eyes became glassy.
“That's enough.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“I choose you when I'm angry.”
He smiled.
“I choose you when you're impossible.”
“That's most days.”
“I know.”
“I choose you because you learned how to love without controlling.”
He kissed my forehead.
Then we kissed.
Not for cameras.
Not for families.
Not for peace treaties.
For us.
Afterward, everyone gathered at a small restaurant by the river.
Grant raised his glass.
“I spent years thinking protecting someone meant deciding everything for them.”
He looked at me.
“I was wrong.”
My mother smiled.
Roman touched my hand under the table.
Then a waiter brought dessert.
Inside my plate was a tiny folded note.
I frowned.
“What's this?”
I opened it.
Three words.
YOU CHOSE WELL.
I looked at Roman.
He was smiling.
“You did that.”
“Yes.”
I laughed.
“You're still dramatic.”
“I'm married to you.”
“You're learning.”
The evening ended with dancing.
My mother danced with Grant.
Marcus danced with an old friend.
Roman and I stood near the river.
“You know,” he said, “I never thought I'd have this.”
“What?”
“A life where nobody is afraid to sit at my table.”
I looked at him.
“Neither did I.”
He kissed my hand.
The city lights reflected in the water.
For once, they looked beautiful instead of dangerous.
I rested my head against his shoulder.
“I used to think my wedding was the day my life ended.”
Roman looked at me.
“And now?”
May you like
I smiled.
“Now I think it was the day my real life started.”
