Chapter Ten: The Vows We Choose
276 Words
Six months later…
The sun bathed the garden in a golden glow. Soft music drifted through the air as guests gathered beneath a canopy of white roses. This time, there were no contracts. No press. No obligations.
Just love.
Ella stood at the altar, a vision in a simple yet elegant lace gown. Her eyes met Xander’s—no longer cold, no longer guarded, but warm, honest, and filled with quiet awe.
He took her hands and whispered, “You changed me, Ella. You showed me how to feel, how to care, how to love. I didn’t think I deserved you. But now, I want to spend the rest of my life proving I do.”
Ella’s voice trembled as she replied, “You were never the man people said you were. Beneath the silence and the walls, there was a heart that just needed to be seen. I’m so glad I saw it. And I’m never letting it go.”
Their vows weren’t rehearsed. They were raw. Real.
And when Xander kissed her—this time as her husband by choice, not contract—it felt like a beginning, not an end.
⸻
That night, as they returned to the penthouse, now filled with memories and laughter, Xander wrapped his arms around Ella from behind and whispered, “I still can’t believe you’re mine.”
She leaned back into him, smiling. “That’s funny… because I’ve always been yours. Even when I didn’t want to be.”
He laughed, resting his chin on her shoulder. “No more contracts?”
“No more contracts,” she said, turning to kiss him. “Just love.”
- Writer
