Chapter 175 Wedding

Chapter 175 Wedding

Todd stood under the porch. Wearing that black suit — the one she'd seen through his open door. His tie was straight, and his cufflinks were dark, not metal.

When he saw Nora, his first move was to tug his cuffs down.

"Let's go."

Nothing else.

The stone path through the woods ran from the back door of the old house all the way to the pavilion by the water. The three o'clock sun filtered through the leaves and fell in patches on the stones.

Todd walked on Nora's left.

His pace was slow. More than twice as slow as usual. Nora's flats made almost no sound on the stones. Todd's dress shoes were audible with every step.

About a minute passed.

The guests up ahead came into view. Storm stood at the back row, hands clasped behind him. Ryder was patrolling the edge of the woods. Calla sat in the third row — Nora had added her at the last minute yesterday.

Todd's hand on her arm was light. Resting there, steadying her, not tight.

"Todd."

"Yeah?"

"Are you nervous?"

Todd tilted his head slightly.

"You're asking if I'm nervous?"

"Just asking."

"No."

His fingers moved a little.

The last twenty steps of the stone path.

The person waiting in the pavilion came into focus — Oliver.

He was also in a black suit today, but a different shirt. White, buttoned only to the second-to-last button. No tie.

Nora let out a quiet, dry laugh inside.

Day of the proposal, buttoned all the way up. Wedding day, suddenly relaxed.

Oliver stood at the foot of the pavilion steps, arms at his sides. When he saw Nora and Todd approaching, he pulled his hands out of his pockets.

Ten steps.

Todd slowed down again.

Nora glanced at him. His face was blank. Completely calm. He just walked slower.

Five steps.

Three.

They were there.

Oliver stood directly ahead. Todd stood on Nora's left.

The two men's eyes met for a moment.

Todd let go.

He lifted his hand from Nora's arm. Clean, no hesitation.

But he didn't step back right away.

"Oliver."

"Yeah."

"Nora has a temper."

Oliver nodded.

"She's a light sleeper. Can't kick the habit of checking her phone in the middle of the night."

Oliver nodded again.

"And—" Todd's voice dropped half a notch. Only three people could hear.

"She's more fragile than you think. Don't let her carry everything alone."

Oliver reached out his hand.

Not to shake Todd's hand. He reached it toward Nora.

Nora stood between the two of them. Her brother on the left. The man she was about to marry on the right.

She looked at Todd first.

Todd's face wasn't smiling. But his throat moved — a swallow, pressed down fast.

"Go on."

Nora put her hand in Oliver's.

Oliver held it. His palm was dry, warm.

Todd stepped back. He moved to the front row and sat down.

He sat down a little hard. The chair legs scraped against the stone floor.

Storm reached forward from behind and put a hand on Todd's shoulder. Todd didn't turn around.

Meredith sat beside Todd, eyes red. Talia leaned against his shoulder, clutching a handkerchief already half-soaked with tears.

Dennis sat nearby, speaking quietly to comfort them.

Herman sat in the second row, arms crossed over his chest, face unreadable. But his eyes stayed fixed on Nora's back without moving for a single second.

Casey sat beside Herman, unusually quiet, none of his usual smirking — just sitting still.

The ceremony was short.

No officiant, no long vows. An elder from the Percy family served as witness and said a few words.

Nora barely listened. Her attention was split between two things — Oliver's hand holding hers, steady the whole time, and Todd in the front row, leaning forward, both hands braced on his knees.

Nora had changed the ring exchange.

No rings.

She reached into the lining of her dress and took out two copper coins.

Most of the guests had no idea where they came from. But Oliver knew. Todd knew.

Nora placed one of them in Oliver's palm. The one she'd carried for over ten years — worn smooth at the edges, warmed by her body for all that time.

She kept the other one. The one Atlas had given Oliver six years ago — newer.

"Let's swap." Nora's voice was quiet. "You take mine. I take yours."

Oliver looked down at the coin in his palm.

He closed his fingers around it, then looked up at Nora.

"What's yours stays with me. What's mine stays with you."

Nora smiled.

Not a polite social smile. The kind that said — you get it, I get it, no need to say more.

Todd sat in the front row, watching.

His fingers tapped lightly on his knee twice, then stopped.

Herman got up from the back and walked over to Todd, sitting down in the empty seat beside him.

The two of them sat side by side, neither looking at the other.

The ceremony ended.

Oliver took Nora's hand and they turned to face everyone.

The applause started at the third table — no one knew who clapped first. Then it spread like ripples in water, and within two seconds the whole grove was clapping.

Nora stood beside Oliver and looked at the faces in front of her.

Storm was clapping, eyes a little red. Ryder stood at the edge of the woods, clapping too. Calla sat in the third row, smiling as she clapped.

Meredith was in tears, clapping and wiping her eyes with her sleeve at the same time. Talia leaned against him, beaming.

Todd didn't clap.

He sat there, hands resting on his knees, looking at Nora.

His expression was steady.

But Nora saw it — the faint curve at the corner of his mouth.

Not a smile. Relief.

Herman stood beside Todd, also not clapping. Hands in his pockets, chin slightly raised. When Nora looked over, he gave one small nod.

Just once.

Nora nodded back.

Then she turned to Oliver.

"Let's go."

Oliver tightened his grip on her hand.

They walked down the pavilion steps side by side.

The leaves rustled in the wind. Sunlight filtered through the gaps and fell across them both, shifting between light and shadow.

Nora took two steps, then stopped.

Oliver turned.

"What's wrong?"

Nora didn't answer.

She turned and looked back.

Todd was still sitting there. Herman was still standing there.

Both of them were looking at her.

Nora held their gaze for two seconds.

Then she turned back.

"Nothing. Let's go."

Oliver didn't ask again. He held her hand and kept walking.

The stone path through the woods was long. On both sides were the old walls of the Percy estate — grey brick, dark tile, covered in vines.

Nora's flats made no sound on the stones. Oliver's dress shoes were steady with every step — not heavy, just solid.

They walked for a while.

Oliver spoke.

"Were you ever nervous?"

Nora thought about it.

"No."

"Liar."

"…At the dock, a little."

"Not then. Today."

Nora was quiet for a few seconds.

"When you got down on one knee. For a second."

Oliver smiled.

"That second, I was thinking—"

"Thinking what?"

"That you'd never say no to me. Not in this lifetime."

Nora looked at him.

"That confident?"

"Not confident." Oliver looked ahead, his voice even. "I just knew."

Nora didn't reply.

But she tightened her hand around his.

The woods ended at a small gate. Beyond it was an alley, and beyond that, the streets of Phoenix City.

Oliver pushed the gate open.

Evening light poured in from outside, stretching their shadows long across the ground.

Nora stood at the threshold, looking at the light beyond.

"Oliver."

"I'm here."

"The road in the days to come—"

"We walk it together."

"Okay."

(The End)

Author's Note:

Thank you to everyone who’s read this far. We invite you to join us for more stories!

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