Chapter 14 - THE SECOND WEDDING DRESS
Dominic proposed two years after the Bellmont wedding.
Not at a gala.
Not in a ballroom.
Not in front of reporters.
On the Osprey.
At sunset.
Chloe stood beside the railing.
The wind moved through her hair.
Dominic approached carrying a small wooden box.
She smiled.
“What's that?”
He looked nervous.
“A question.”
She laughed.
“Should I be worried?”
“Possibly.”
He opened the box.
Inside was a ring.
Simple.
Elegant.
A small diamond set in gold.
Chloe stared.
Dominic took her hand.
“Chloe.”
Her eyes filled.
“The first time I saw you, you were wearing a wedding dress.”
She laughed through tears.
“You were hiding in a library.”
He smiled.
“True.”
He took a breath.
“You were terrified.”
His voice softened.
“But even then, you refused to sign something you knew was wrong.”
Chloe smiled.
“You taught me that courage isn't the absence of fear.”
He swallowed.
“It's choosing what matters even when you're afraid.”
He knelt.
“Chloe Davis, will you marry me?”
She stared.
Then smiled.
“Yes.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
“Really?”
She laughed.
“Really.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger.
Then kissed her.
Their wedding took place six months later.
Small.
Private.
On the waterfront.
Chloe wore a simple ivory dress.
No enormous ballroom.
No champagne towers.
No financial paperwork.
Just family.
Friends.
And promises they both intended to keep.
Before the ceremony, Teresa handed Chloe a small package.
Inside was her original veil.
Cleaned.
Repaired.
The gold embroidery still visible.
Osprey.
Chloe stared.
Her eyes filled.
Teresa smiled.
“Dominic thought you might want it.”
Chloe touched the fabric.
For a moment, she remembered the rain.
The alley.
The fear.
Then she remembered her father.
His laughter.
His boat.
His final warning.
She smiled through tears.
“I do.”
Chloe wore the veil.
Not because it belonged to her first wedding.
May you like
But because it belonged to her father.
And because the name sewn into it had led her back to the truth.
