Chapter 83
The soft chime of wedding bells filled the air, weaving through the crisp morning breeze that drifted through the open glass doors of the chapel. Light poured in from the stained-glass windows, scattering colours across the white aisle like blessings from heaven itself. Jace stood before the altar, his heart hammering beneath the perfectly tailored ivory suit Elias had insisted he wear. His palms were trembling slightly, from the overwhelming tide of emotion that surged within him.
Across from him stood Elias Crane, the man who once represented everything Jace vowed to destroy, now the man he could not imagine living without. Elias looked devastatingly handsome in his black tuxedo, his dark hair slicked neatly, his silver cufflinks catching the light as he reached out his hand to Jace. The look in his eyes was raw, a mixture of reverence, love, and the kind of devotion that left Jace breathless.
When the officiant began to speak, the world seemed to fade. Jace could barely hear anything beyond the rhythmic beating of his heart. Every word that followed every vow exchanged felt like a miracle.
“I, Elias Crane, take you, Jace Rivera, to be my husband,” Elias said softly, his voice breaking slightly. “From the moment you crashed into my life, everything changed. You taught me love in its purest, most chaotic form. I vow to protect you, to fight beside you, and to never let the darkness of our past dim the light we have found.”
Jace swallowed hard, his eyes misting. “And I, Jace Rivera, take you, Elias Crane, to be my husband. You are my second chance at life. You saw me at my worst, and still… you stayed. I vow to stand by you, to love you fiercely, even when it hurts, and to never forget what it took for us to find this happiness.”
When the officiant pronounced them married, Elias did not wait he pulled Jace close and kissed him deeply. The crowd erupted in applause, but Jace barely noticed. For a moment, it was just them– the broke bartender and the heir, two broken souls who had bled, fought, and forgiven enough to build something beautiful out of the ruins.
As the ceremony ended, Jace looked out into the sea of faces, Noah smiling wide and healthy in the front row, Elias’s mother wiping tears from her eyes, the friends who had stood by them clapping in joy. For the first time in years, Jace’s heart felt light. He was free.
~
When Elias recovered after being shot, the two of them stood together to testify in court. It was the hardest thing they had ever done, but it had to be done. Elias’s father, Victor Crane, sat in the defendant’s chair cold, calculating, and stripped of the power that once made him untouchable.
Jace had trembled as he held up the 2009 legal correspondence, the evidence that tied Victor to the deaths of Jace’s parents. His voice shook, but he did not look away. Elias had been beside him the whole time, their fingers brushing under the table, a silent reminder that they were stronger together.
Victor Crane was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Aiden, whose role in the kidnapping had left a stain on both their hearts, was given ten years which was later reduced to five after the truth came out that he had been coerced under threats to his mother’s life. Jace had not been ready to forgive him, but part of him was relieved that Aiden would have a chance at redemption.
When the verdict was read, Jace had cried from release. The ghosts that had haunted him since childhood were finally laid to rest.
~
In the months that followed, Elias took over Crane Corporation. The transition was rough— shareholders questioned his judgment, the board tried to test him, and there were nights when he came home exhausted, suit jacket tossed over a chair, muttering that he’d never sleep again. But Elias was nothing like his father.
He restructured the company, cutting ties with corrupt executives and introducing new ethics protocols that prioritized transparency and human welfare. Crane Corp shifted from cold, profit-driven dealings to philanthropic ventures like funding hospitals, art scholarships, and community programs.
When Jace walked through the building one afternoon, he barely recognized it. The same walls that once held secrets and blood now held art, light, and purpose. Employees smiled when they saw Elias. And when Elias called him “my fiancé” during an investor meeting, the pride in his tone had nearly made Jace cry again.
~
Noah, meanwhile, was doing better than ever. His colour had returned, his laughter brighter. After recovering fully, he insisted on interning at Crane Corp because he wanted to build something of his own. He worked hard, often late into the night, and Jace would bring him coffee during breaks, teasing him about being “the youngest workaholic in the building.”
Seeing Noah walk through the same halls that once symbolized their pain but now represented new beginnings filled Jace with indescribable peace. His brother was healthy, safe, and smiling. That was all he had ever wanted.
~
Now, standing hand in hand with Elias on their wedding day, Jace felt like he could finally breathe.
As the reception began, he found himself watching Elias from across the room, the way he laughed with Noah, the way his hand never strayed too far from his wedding band, as if he still could not believe it was real.
Jace looked down at his own ring. The gold caught the light just right, glowing warm against his skin. He turned it slowly, his heart swelling with emotions that words could never contain.
He remembered the nights he had cried himself to sleep, the years of resentment and loneliness, the weight of vengeance that had consumed him. And then, he remembered Elias’s hand reaching out through the darkness.... not as a Crane, not as the son of his enemy, but as a man who loved him without conditions.
This was what peace felt like. Not perfect, but real. Hard-won.
He let out a shaky laugh, brushing a tear from his cheek. "Mom, Dad… I did it."
He imagined them smiling somewhere, finally proud, finally at rest.
The music slowed, and Elias reached for him, pulling him onto the dance floor. Their movements were soft, unhurried, like they had all the time in the world. Jace leaned into his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, the same heart that had once risked everything for him.
“I love you,” Jace whispered.
Elias smiled down at him. “And I will keep proving it every day.”
The crowd faded away. It was just the two of them again — Jace and Elias, husband and husband, their souls intertwined in a bond that had survived betrayal, blood, and fire.
And then… it happened.
The world tilted. The edges of his vision blurred. Jace blinked rapidly, clutching Elias’s arm as a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him.
“Jace?” Elias’s voice was sharp, alarmed. “Jace, what’s wrong?”
Jace tried to answer, but his lips moved soundlessly. The music warped into an echo, distant and hollow. His chest felt heavy, his knees buckling beneath him. Gasps rippled through the room.
“Jace!” Elias caught him before he hit the floor, panic flooding his voice. The guests were shouting now, chairs scraping, footsteps rushing closer.
Jace’s eyes fluttered open briefly — Elias’s face hovered above him, wild with fear, his hands trembling as he held Jace close.
“Stay with me, please.... Jace, stay with me!”
But Jace could not. His vision dimmed, and his last thought before the darkness took him was how warm Elias’s arms felt, how safe.
And then everything went black.