Chapter 15 - Where the Music Plays (The End)
Six months later.
The wedding did not take place in a cathedral surrounded by armed bodyguards.
We were married on the private cliffside terrace of Villa Vance at sunset.
The Mediterranean sea was a sheet of beaten gold beneath a sky of rose, violet,
and amber. The air was filled with the intoxicating scent of blooming lemon
blossoms and fresh sea spray.
Fifty close friends and allied family members sat in white chairs lined with
white roses.
Mia was our maid of honor.
She walked down the stone aisle without a cane, her eyes bright and clear,
carrying our wedding rings on a velvet cushion beside the olive-wood music box.
When Cassian took my hands at the altar, looking at me with eyes full of an
eternity of love, Father Antonio spoke the ancient vows that bound our souls
forever.
“What was broken in fire has been made whole in love.”
We exchanged our rings—simple, elegant platinum bands that sealed a bond forged
in peril, tested in war, and crowned in absolute devotion.
“You may kiss your bride,” Father Antonio announced.
Cassian pulled me into his arms. The kiss was deep, tender, and filled with the
unshakeable peace of a man whose long winter was finally over.
The small gathering erupted into cheers, rose petals showering over our heads
like sweet-scented snow.
Later that night, long after the guests had departed and the villa was quiet
beneath a canopy of brilliant stars, Cassian, Mia, and I stood together on the
high stone terrace.
The warm breeze rustled the ribbons of my ivory silk gown.
Mia set the olive-wood music box on the marble balustrade and wound the brass
key three times.
The sweet, clear melody drifted out over the cliffside, floating into the warm
night air, carried by the sea breeze toward the distant horizon.
Cassian stood behind me, his strong arms wrapped securely around my waist, his
chin resting against the curve of my shoulder.
Mia leaned against my hip, holding my hand, her face turned toward the stars,
humming along with the music.
I looked down at the platinum band shining on my finger, then looked up into the
vast, beautiful expanse of the Mediterranean sky.
The fear was gone. The running was finished.
May you like
The music was playing at last, and our family was finally home.
THE END
