Chapter 205

Chapter 205
Clio’s POV
I thought I would cry when I walked down the aisle.
I did not expect to feel like my lungs might collapse from the sheer weight of being alive.
The estate garden had been rebuilt where fire once devoured stone. White fabric moved gently in the breeze, threaded through olive branches that had survived the attack. Someone had planted new flowers weeks ago, stubborn things that bloomed anyway, as if daring the world to try again.
Every step forward felt unreal.
I could still smell smoke when I closed my eyes. Still hear the alarms. Still feel Jessy’s fingers slipping from mine in that burning hallway while the ceiling collapsed behind us. I remembered screaming his name until my throat bled and thinking this was it. This was how love ended.
And now I was walking toward him.
Alive.
He stood at the front in a simple dark suit, shoulders squared like he was bracing for impact instead of a wedding. His hair was slightly too long. His hands shook. His eyes never left mine.
When our gazes locked, something in my chest shattered open.
He smiled.
Not the confident grin he wore into danger. Not the charming smile he used to hide fear. This was raw. Trembling. Wet-eyed. The smile of a man who had stood on the edge of losing everything and been given a second chance he did not deserve.
I barely registered the music stopping or the guests rising. Angela sat in the front row, one hand on her swollen stomach, tears streaming freely down her face. Nikolai stood beside her, jaw tight, one arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Ajax looked uncomfortable in anything resembling formalwear, wiping his eyes like dust had gotten into them. Ares squeezed Anna’s hand, both of them smiling in quiet understanding.
Burak stood farther back. Alone. Watching with an expression that held grief and hope at the same time. I met his gaze for a brief second and nodded. He nodded back.
This wedding mattered to all of us.
Because it proved something survived.
I reached Jessy.
He took my hands like he was afraid I would disappear if he let go.
“You’re here,” he whispered.
“So are you,” I whispered back.
The officiant began speaking but the words washed over me. My heart was too loud. My memories too sharp.
I remembered Jessy bleeding in my arms in that hallway. Remembered pressing my hands to his chest, begging him not to leave me while fire roared around us. I remembered the moment the doors finally burst open and air rushed in and I realized we were still breathing.
Love had never felt so fragile.
And never so strong.
When it was time for vows, Jessy cleared his throat. His voice broke on the first word.
“I was supposed to go first,” he said quietly, looking at the guests. “But I need to say this before I forget how to breathe.”
Soft laughter rippled through the crowd.
He turned back to me.
“I have loved you in peace,” he said. “And I have loved you in chaos. I loved you when life was simple and when everything burned. I loved you when I was strong and when I was on my knees bleeding and terrified.”
My vision blurred.
“I promised myself that if I survived the night I almost lost you, I would never waste another second pretending I am not afraid,” he continued. “I am afraid every day. Afraid of losing you. Afraid of not being enough. Afraid the world will take something else from us.”
He swallowed hard.
“But I choose you anyway. I choose the fear. I choose the scars. I choose the nights when we wake up shaking. I choose forever, even if forever is loud and messy and hard.”
Tears slid down my cheeks unchecked.
Jessy lifted my hands and pressed them against his chest.
“You saved me,” he said. “You pulled me back from the fire. You gave me something to fight for when everything else fell apart. I don’t promise you safety. I promise you truth. I promise I will stand between you and the world every time.”
There was silence so complete it felt sacred.
Then it was my turn.
I barely recognized my own voice.
“I spent so long believing love was something that happened quietly,” I said. “Something gentle and soft and predictable.”
I shook my head.
“I was wrong.”
A few people laughed through tears.
“Loving you was a war,” I said. “And a shelter. And a rebirth. You saw me at my worst. You saw me afraid and angry and broken. You saw me covered in ash and still chose me.”
Jessy’s eyes shone.
“I thought I lost you,” I whispered. “I thought I was going to watch the man I love die in my arms. And in that moment, I realized something terrifying.”
My voice cracked.
“There is no life for me without you.”
A few sobs echoed among the guests. Angela pressed her hand to her mouth. Nomiki clutched Maya’s fingers. Even Ajax bowed his head.
“I promise to choose you when it’s easy and when it hurts,” I continued. “I promise to fight for us even when I’m tired. I promise to never forget how close we came to losing everything.”
I smiled through tears.
“And I promise to love you like tomorrow is never guaranteed.”
Jessy let out a shaky breath and leaned his forehead against mine.
When the officiant pronounced us married, the world erupted.
Applause. Cheers. Tears. Laughter that sounded almost hysterical from relief.
Jessy kissed me like he was sealing a vow with his soul.
Later, during the reception, the lights softened and music drifted through the garden. We danced under the stars where fire once fell. People laughed louder than necessary. Children ran barefoot across stone that had been scrubbed clean of blood.
I watched Angela sway gently with Nikolai, his hand never leaving her back. Watched Ares and Anna whisper together like they were planning something dangerous and beautiful. Watched Burak stand at the edge of the light, smiling faintly as if letting himself believe in hope for the first time in years.
Jessy rested his forehead against mine.
“We made it,” he said.
“Yes,” I whispered. “We did.”
For one night, the war was quiet.
For one night, love won.
And I knew with absolute certainty that every scar, every loss, every tear had led us here.
Alive.
Together.