Chapter 14 - THE WEDDING WITHOUT SHADOWS
Their wedding took place the following spring.
Small.
Elegant.
Filled with people who genuinely loved them.
Margaret walked Evelyn down the aisle.
Dante stood beside Adrian.
Detective Reyes attended as a guest.
Rebecca Mercer came with her children.
Evelyn had remained close to the family after Daniel's death.
His testimony and evidence had helped expose the corruption surrounding Halcyon Tower.
The project had been redesigned and subjected to independent inspections before any work resumed.
Several people involved in the falsified reports faced criminal and civil consequences.
Adrian's company had suffered enormous losses.
But he no longer measured success solely in money.
When Evelyn reached him at the altar, he took her hands.
“You look beautiful.”
She smiled.
“You look less gray.”
The guests laughed.
Adrian shook his head.
“I'll never escape that, will I?”
“No.”
They exchanged vows.
Adrian promised honesty.
Respect.
And a life in which Evelyn would never have to wonder whether she mattered more than his power.
Evelyn promised to love him without pretending he was perfect.
To challenge him.
To stand beside him.
And to remind him to eat.
The guests laughed again.
May you like
Then Adrian kissed his bride.
And the man who had once forbidden anyone from sitting beside him finally understood that love wasn't something he needed to survive alone.
