Chapter 156

In the front row, Fox lost the battle with his composure. He turned his head and coughed aggressively into his elbow.

The officiant smiled. "Do you, Logan Landry, take Cordelia Borgia—"

"I do."

A beat of stunned silence, followed by laughter.

The officiant's lips twitched. "I hadn't finished the question."

"Didn't need to." Logan's eyes were fixed on Cordelia, blazing with certainty.

More laughter. Bethel blew her nose loudly.

The officiant turned to Cordelia. "And do you—"

"I do," Cordelia said immediately.

The officiant closed his book. "Well, then. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may—"

Logan kissed her before the sentence ended.

The garden erupted. Applause, cheers, Kaida's full-throated sobbing. Bethel was on her feet, clutching Axel's arm with one hand and waving her handkerchief with the other like she was surrendering to joy.

When they finally broke apart, Cordelia was laughing and crying at the same time.

"You couldn't even let him finish?" she managed.

"I've waited long enough," Logan said, and kissed her again.

---

Down by the front row, Rhys and Yara stood side by side, each holding a basket of flower petals.

Rhys watched the kiss with an expression that hovered between pleased and vaguely nauseated. "They're doing it again."

"It's a wedding. They're supposed to kiss," Yara informed him.

"I know that. I just don't need to see it that many times."

"You're weird."

"You're weirder."

"Ready?" Yara lifted her basket.

Rhys lifted his. "On three."

"One—"

"Two—"

"Three!"

They flung the petals skyward. White and pink fragments caught the sunlight, swirling upward like a gentle, fragrant snowfall before drifting down over the newlyweds.

Yara watched the petals fall. "Pretty."

Rhys said nothing. But he was smiling—really smiling, with his whole face, no mask, no performance—for the first time in as long as anyone could remember.

Dr. Voss had told him something in their last session that he'd been turning over in his mind for weeks.

You don't have to earn love by keeping everyone else away. You don't have to fight for your place. You already have one.

He didn't fully understand it yet. Maybe understanding would take years.

But standing here, watching his father—uncle, father, whatever Logan was, it didn't matter anymore—kiss the woman who'd refused to give up on him, Rhys felt something loosen inside his chest.

Something that had been clenched tight since the day his mother first showed him a photograph of Logan's face and whispered, That's your daddy. We have to make sure no one takes him away from us.

He let it go.

---

The reception spilled into the evening.

Fairy lights replaced the afternoon sun. Music drifted across the garden. Guests danced, laughed, and drank far too much champagne.

Cordelia, at some point, had kicked off her heels and was dancing barefoot on the lawn with Kaida, who was three glasses in and enthusiastically off-beat.

"I can't believe my ship actually sailed!" Kaida wailed happily, spinning Cordelia in a wobbly circle. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"

"Longer than me, apparently."

"I started planning your wedding the day Mr. Landry looked at you during that first meeting. I knew. I KNEW."

"You're delusional."

"I'm a VISIONARY."

Sherry appeared and pried them apart. "Enough. You're going to end up on someone's phone and it'll be trending by morning."

"Let it trend!" Kaida declared. "The world deserves to know that love is REAL."

Logan rescued Cordelia from the chaos with a hand on her waist and a glass of water. "Having fun?"

"The most fun." She leaned against him. "Your mom cried the entire ceremony."

"She's been crying since last Tuesday. I think it's permanent now."

"And your dad?"

"He told me—and I quote—'If you make her unhappy, I'll adopt her and disown you.'"

Cordelia laughed so hard she nearly choked on her water. "I love your father."

"Everyone loves my father. It's incredibly annoying."

---

Late in the evening, after the last dance and the final toast, Cordelia slipped away from the crowd.

She found herself standing beneath a massive old oak tree at the far edge of the garden, where the noise of the reception faded to a gentle hum. The sky was impossibly clear—a dome of black velvet scattered with stars.

She breathed in. Out. In again.

Her phone vibrated in the hidden pocket of her dress.

She pulled it out. One message.

Nathan.

[Congratulations.]

Two words. No elaboration. No hidden meaning. No attempt to reclaim what he'd lost.

Just two words from a man who'd finally learned how to let go.

Cordelia looked at the message for a long time. The stars blurred slightly.

She typed back:

[Thank you.]

She slid the phone away and closed her eyes.

Warm arms encircled her from behind.

She didn't startle. She knew those arms. That scent. That heartbeat against her back.

"Found you," Logan murmured against her ear. "Hiding from your own wedding?"

"Not hiding. Just... taking it in."

He rested his chin on the top of her head. "What are you thinking about?"

She leaned back into his chest and let his warmth seep into her bones. The stars wheeled slowly overhead. The distant sound of children's laughter—Rhys and Yara, still awake despite every adult's best efforts—carried across the garden like music.

"I'm thinking," she said slowly, "that I didn't know happiness could feel this quiet."

Logan tightened his arms around her. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Get used to it," he whispered. "Because this is every day now."

The wind stirred the branches above them. Somewhere in the distance, Kaida shrieked with laughter. Fox shouted something about last call. Bethel was almost certainly still crying.

And here, beneath the old oak tree, two people stood in the dark and breathed the same air, heartbeat to heartbeat, scar to scar.

No fire. No drama. No war.

Just this.

Just them.

Just the beginning.

---

— THE END —

Hey everyone, I'm sorry — some things have come up at home recently, so I haven't had time to keep going. This story will end here for now. Thank you all so much for reading! I'll be back soon.