Chapter 17 - THE WEDDING WE CHOSETwo years after the empire ended, Julian and I decided to renew our vows.
Not because our first marriage had been unhappy.
It had survived something enormous.
But because our first wedding had been built around a secret.
The second would be built around a choice.
No contract.
No business merger.
No family negotiation.
Only love.
The ceremony took place in the gardens of our foundation.
Evelyn walked beside me.
Samuel stood beside Julian.
Eli gave me away.
And Lily held the rings.
When I reached the altar, Julian smiled.
“You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.”
I laughed.
“Now you can finally say it without a bandage covering half my face.”
He took my hands.
“I would have loved you either way.”
“I know.”
“I just wish you'd believed that sooner.”
“So do I.”
Our vows were simple.
No promises about wealth.
No promises about power.
Only honesty.
“I choose you,” Julian said.
“I choose you,” I answered.
Lily brought us the rings.
Then whispered:
“Don't lose them.”
Everyone laughed.
We exchanged rings.
And for the first time, the jewelry represented no secret agreement.
Only commitment.
After the ceremony, my father’s old attorney approached me.
He handed me a small box.
Inside was my original wedding band.
The one my father had once insisted I hide beneath the bandages.
I looked at it.
Then at Julian.
“You should wear it.”
I smiled.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because this one belongs to the past.”
I placed it in the foundation archive.
A reminder.
Not a chain.
That night, we danced beneath the stars.
My siblings laughed.
Lily ran through the garden.
My father was gone.
But somehow, I felt his presence.
May you like
Not as a warning.
As peace.
