Chapter 10 - Forever After
The wedding wasn't held in a grand cathedral in Chicago, nor was it attended by syndicate bosses, politicians, or high-society heiresses.
It was held right here in Maine, on a private stretch of sandy beach at sunset, with the sound of gentle waves providing the music.
There were only twenty guests: a few trusted friends from our new hometown, Martha—who had insisted on moving with us to help manage the household—and three very excited little flower girls and ring bearers who nearly dropped the velvet box in the sand before bursting into giggles.
I wore a simple, elegant lace sundress, my hair falling in soft waves around my shoulders.
As I walked down the sandy aisle on the arm of an old bookstore owner who had become like a grandfather to me, I looked ahead.
Adrian stood waiting at the makeshift altar built of driftwood and white roses. He wore a crisp linen shirt and slacks, looking more handsome than any man had a right to be. But it wasn't his sharp jawline or his tall, commanding frame that caught my breath.
It was the look in his eyes.
There was no shadow there. No cold calculation. No fear of betrayal or ghosts from the past.
Just absolute, unwavering devotion.
"Do you, Adrian, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the local magistrate asked softly against the sound of the surf.
Adrian never took his eyes off me as he slipped the simple platinum band onto my finger.
"I do," he said, his voice steady, clear, and full of a lifetime of promises kept. "Forever."
"And do you, Maya, take this man..."
"I do," I smiled, tears of pure joy spilling over my lashes.
"You may kiss the bride."
When Adrian pulled me into his arms, the applause of our children and our tiny circle of friends blended with the crash of the ocean waves.
May you like
The secret I had buried for four years in the dark had finally brought us into the brightest light imaginable. We had left the blood and the shadows far behind, trading a violent empire for a quiet, beautiful life by the sea.
And as Adrian held me tight against his heart, I knew with absolute certainty that our story was only just beginning.
