Chapter 193 What Happens Now

Chapter 193 What Happens Now
Mia's POV

By the time Liam and I finally escaped to one of the guest rooms, the tequila was beginning to wear off, which unfortunately meant the numbness was disappearing with it.

I buried my face against his chest as we lay together on the bed. "I'm never drinking tequila again."

Liam laughed softly and tightened his arm around me. "You said that five minutes ago."

"I mean it more now."

"You'll survive."

I lifted my head and narrowed my eyes. "You're enjoying this."

"A little," he admitted.

I pinched his side, but he caught my hand before I could do it again and brought my fingers to his lips.

For a while, neither of us spoke. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart while his fingers moved slowly through my hair. After everything that had happened, simply lying in his arms felt almost unreal.

Eventually, I looked up at him. "What happens now?"

His hand paused in my hair before he answered. "I resigned from Alcaraz Global."

I pushed myself up so quickly the room spun. "You resigned? Liam, you're the CEO."

"Not anymore."

"But Alcaraz Global has been your entire life. It's your family's company."

"And my father is perfectly capable of running it."

The bitterness in his voice told me exactly where his thoughts had gone.

"I spent years believing I had to carry everything because I was the one expected to take over," he continued. "I thought the company would eventually become entirely my responsibility, but after finding out how Dad manipulated both of us, I realized I don't want my life controlled by him anymore. He wanted Alcaraz Global badly enough to lie and interfere with our future, so he can have it."

I studied his face. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know yet."

That answer surprised me more than his resignation.

Liam had always known what came next. His life had been built around schedules, meetings, plans, and responsibilities, yet there was something almost peaceful about him now, as though admitting he didn't know what tomorrow would bring had finally set him free.

His expression softened as he looked at me. “Would you still want me as your husband if I’m no longer the CEO of Alcaraz Global?”

For a moment, I could only stare at him. After everything we had survived, he was actually asking me that.

I moved over him, bracing my hands beside his shoulders as his arms settled naturally around my waist, then lowered my mouth to his.

"I will always love you no matter what your status in life, Liam."

His eyes searched mine. "Even if I have nothing?"

"I fell in love with you before I understood anything about Alcaraz Global. Back then, all I knew was that I was trying to survive school while somehow stopping myself from staring at you whenever you walked into a room."

A smile touched his lips. "I remember the staring."

"Don't ruin the moment."

His smile widened as I touched his face.

"I never loved your position, your money, or your family name. I loved you, and I still do. So if you're asking whether I would still want you as my husband without Alcaraz Global, the answer is yes."

"Good."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's all you're going to say?"

"For now."

He kissed me before I could complain.

The kiss started slowly, almost carefully, but there was too much between us for it to stay that way. I wrapped my arms around his neck while he pulled me closer, and for once, there was nothing standing between us. No family expectations, no company, no Glydel, and no fear that choosing each other would destroy someone else.

When his mouth left mine, I pressed my forehead against his. "I really thought I lost you today. I heard the judge pronounce you married and believed you belonged to someone else."

His hand came up to my cheek. "I belong with you."

Tears burned behind my eyes. "You better mean that."

"I do."

I kissed him again, and this time neither of us held anything back.

That night, we finally stopped running from what we felt and allowed ourselves to believe we had found our way back to each other. When we made love, it wasn't out of desperation or fear of losing one another again.

For the first time in years, being with Liam simply felt like coming home.

Warm sunlight fell across my face when I finally opened my eyes.

Still half asleep, I reached toward the other side of the bed and touched an empty pillow.

My eyes opened immediately. "Liam?"

No answer came.

I sat up, my stomach tightening as I stared at the empty space beside me. For one horrifying second, I wondered whether I had imagined everything after getting drunk.

Then I caught his familiar scent on the pillow and noticed enough evidence around the room to reassure me that I hadn't imagined him.

Relief rushed through me.

Liam had really come back to me.

I was still smiling when I stepped into the hallway and nearly collided with Leah.

"There you are," she said, shoving a garment bag into my arms. "Take a shower."

I blinked at her. "Good morning to you too. Where's Liam?"

"Waiting."

That single word instantly relaxed me. "Where?"

"You'll find out after you shower."

I looked down at the garment bag. "Why do I need to shower just to see my boyfriend?"

Leah glanced pointedly at the dress I was still wearing from yesterday. "Because you're not seeing him again looking like that, and we have somewhere important to be."

"What somewhere?"

"Somewhere you definitely don't want to miss, so stop asking questions and get in the shower before Liam has to wait even longer."

She turned me toward the bathroom before I could protest, and I showered faster than I ever had in my life.

When I came out wrapped in a towel, Leah was already waiting beside the open garment bag. The moment I saw what was inside, I stopped.

It was a simple white dress, elegant without being elaborate and exactly the kind of thing I would have chosen for myself.

I looked at Leah suspiciously. "Why is it white?"

"Because white looks good on you."

"Leah."

She pulled the dress from the bag. "Put it on."

"Did Liam choose this?"

"Yes."

My heart immediately began beating faster. "Why?"

"Because he wanted you to wear something special."

"You're avoiding every question I ask."

"Correct, and I plan to continue doing that until you get dressed."

I should have argued, but curiosity won.

Leah helped me into the dress and fixed my hair before turning me toward the mirror. The dress fit perfectly, and something about seeing myself in white made my stomach flutter.

As I stared at my reflection, one ridiculous thought slipped into my mind.

"Leah, yesterday really happened, right?"

She stared at me through the mirror. "What kind of question is that?"

"I was drunk. For a while, I genuinely thought Liam was imaginary, so I just need you to confirm it."

She sighed dramatically. "Yes, Mia. Liam showed up. He didn't marry Glydel. You kissed him in front of everyone, Josh nearly lost his mind over his couch, and then you two disappeared upstairs."

Heat rushed into my cheeks. "You could have stopped before that last part."

"You asked me to confirm what happened."

I covered my face while she laughed. When I finally lowered my hands, she smiled at me through the mirror.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Yes."

"Good, because Liam has been waiting long enough."

I headed for the door, but Leah caught my hand.

"What now?" I asked.

She only smiled. "I just want to see your face when you realize what he planned."

That made me even more suspicious.

I followed her downstairs, but as soon as we reached the living room, I noticed something strange. The house was completely quiet. Josh was nowhere in sight, and neither were Allen, Daniel, Seth, or anyone else who had been there the night before.

"Where is everyone?"

Leah continued toward the doors facing the beach. "Come on."

"Leah, seriously, where did they all go?"

"You'll see."

She opened the doors, and the moment I stepped outside, I stopped.

The beach had been transformed.

Rows of white chairs lined both sides of an aisle scattered with white rose petals. More roses decorated the chairs, their simplicity beautiful against the pale sand and endless blue ocean behind them.

At the end of the aisle stood a wedding arch covered in white roses.

And beneath it was Liam.

He wore a simple suit, nothing like the formal wedding attire I had seen him wearing yesterday, yet somehow he had never looked more handsome.

Because this time, he wasn't standing beneath an arch waiting for Glydel.

He was waiting for me.

Then I noticed the man standing beside him.

A judge.

"Oh my God."

My gaze moved across the chairs. There weren't hundreds of guests, only the people who mattered.

Josh stood beside Allen, both of them smiling at me. Daniel was nearby with Seth, while Richard and Caroline had come as well.

Then I saw Anabel.

The moment she smiled at me, I understood how Liam had pulled this off so quickly. Knowing Anabel, she had probably kept everything Liam and I had already prepared for our wedding before we fell apart, from the paperwork to the arrangements. If anyone could turn those plans into a beach wedding overnight, it was her.

She had refused to attend Liam's wedding unless I was the bride, and apparently, she had meant it. She had also made sure the truth reached Liam when I had almost given up.

If it hadn't been for Anabel, yesterday might have ended very differently. I was definitely thanking her later.

When I looked at Liam again, he still hadn't taken his eyes off me.

My voice broke. "Leah, you knew about this?"

She squeezed my hand. "Now you understand why I wouldn't let you come outside wearing yesterday's dress."

"All of you knew?"

"Pretty much."

I stared at the setup again. "When did you even arrange this? Liam and I only got back together last night."

"Apparently, your man works fast."

A watery laugh escaped me.

Yesterday, I had stood among wedding guests believing I was watching the man I loved marry another woman. Today, there were no business associates, reporters, powerful families, or strangers waiting to decide whether I belonged beside him.

There were only the people who loved us, white roses, the ocean, and Liam waiting at the end of the aisle.

Then the music began.

The first notes of the wedding procession drifted across the beach, and my tears finally spilled over.

"Oh, no."

Leah laughed softly. "What?"

"I'm going to ruin my makeup."

"That's what you're worried about right now?"

A breathless laugh escaped me as I looked down at my white dress and then back at Liam. "I just realized I'm getting married."

Leah laughed harder while I stared at the aisle, finally understanding everything.

This wasn't simply somewhere Liam wanted to take me.

This was our wedding.

My wedding to the man I had loved for years.

"I can't believe he did this."

"Believe it."

Then Liam smiled at me from beneath the arch, and whatever control I had left disappeared.

We had spent years losing each other, finding our way back, and believing circumstances would always be stronger than what we felt.

Yesterday, I had thought our story was over.

Now Liam was waiting at the end of the aisle to become my husband.