**The river glistened like silk beneath the July sun.**
Ivy stood at the edge of the Hudson, dressed not in lace or tradition, but in a tailored white suit. No veil. No script. Only clarity.
Adrian waited beneath the willow tree they'd chosen months ago, his own suit simple, surgical scar unhidden beneath the sweep of his hair.
There were no pews. No drones. Just a dozen close friends, a riverside breeze, and a justice of the peace who asked only one question:
**“Do you choose each other?"**
They said yes in perfect unison.
Then laughter.
Then silence.
Then hands, clasped without tremor or tether.
No biometric locks. No encrypted chains.
Only skin. Only choice.
---
Lucas was there, too.
He shook Adrian's hand, then pulled Ivy into a hug.
“Guess you traded a crisis algorithm f
