Chapter 14 - THE PROMISE IN THE SNOW
The private chapel on the DeLuca estate grounds was quiet, illuminated by the warm, golden glow of a hundred flickering candles.
There were no high-society guests, no pretentious charity donors, and no press photographers outside the wrought-iron gates.
Just the soft crackle of the stone fireplace and the steady, reassuring heartbeat of the man standing at the altar.
Harper walked slowly down the aisle, her simple silk dress brushing against the polished stone floor.
Instead of a veil, her hair was caught back by the same antique diamond comb she had worn the night they first met—the night that had begun as a nightmare of forced vengeance and ended in salvation.
Enzo waited for her at the front, dressed in a sharp black tuxedo, his dark eyes shining with an emotion he had never expected to feel again.
As she reached his side, he took her small, trembling hands in his own.
"You know," Enzo whispered with a faint, rare smile, "technically, we're already married."
"Technically," Harper smiled back, her eyes sparkling with happy tears, "the first wedding was held under duress and involved a lot of screaming and broken furniture."
"Then let's do it right this time," Enzo said softly, sliding a simple, heavy platinum band onto her finger.
"I, Enzo DeLuca, take you, Harper Whitcomb, to be my wife, my equal, and my partner in every battle for the rest of my days."
Harper’s voice didn't shake this time as she slid the matching band onto his finger.
"And I take you, Enzo DeLuca, to be my protector, my confidant, and the only man I will ever surrender to."
The priest—a quiet, trusted old family friend—smiled warmly.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
May you like
Enzo pulled Harper into his arms, pressing his lips to hers in a deep, passionate kiss that sealed their past away forever and welcomed a bright, unbreakable future.
Outside, the snow fell softly over the sprawling Chicago estate, blanketing the frozen ground in pure, untouched white.
