Chapter 20
Hayley didn’t hesitate for a second.
After everything–every scar, every betrayal, every moment of healing–she knew she wasn’t going to postpone the wedding. If anything, the pain of the past pushed her harder toward the future. She wanted this. She wanted him.
Scott had given her peace. Safety. And most of all, love without conditions.
So, the wedding would happen. Today.
The morning light streamed through the windows of the villa. The private garden was transformed into something out of a dream: white blossoms, flowing linens, twinkling candles, and rows of intimate chairs. It wasn’t grand, but it was perfect. Private. Safe.
Aurora arrived early, her black cane tapping gently on the stone tiles. She wore silver silk, her sharp eyes lined with tears. When she saw Hayley in her gown–simple, elegant, glowing–she smiled softly.
“You look like the daughter I never had,” Aurora whispered.
Hayley hugged her tightly.
“I’m sorry,” Aurora added. “Jarren is still in the hospital. He woke up this morning. He’s alive… but broken. As he should be. Maybe now he finally understands what he lost.”
“I hope he does,” Hayley said quietly. “But that chapter of my life is closed.”
“I know,” Aurora said, gently fixing her veil. “And I promise, no one will ever hurt you again.”
As Hayley stood at the altar, her fingers gently curled around Scott’s, a soft warmth bloomed in her chest. This moment–this very moment–was the one she had dared to imagine only in the quietest corners of her heart. And now, it was real.
She took a breath and glanced around. The white petals fluttering in the breeze. The golden glow of the sun slipping through the trees. The soft violin in the background. It was everything she’d once dreamed of as a little girl. But more than that–it was peace. Peace she never thought she’d
have.
Her eyes lifted to Scott’s, and she saw nothing but unwavering tenderness. He wasn’t just marrying her. He chose her. Not despite her past–but because of how she survived it.
Her mind flashed to all the nights she cried herself to sleep in that cold mansion. All the near–deaths, the betrayals, the loneliness that nearly broke her. She remembered screaming silently in a house that never felt like home.
But that was another life.
Because now… she was here.
And this man–the one who held her scars as if they were art–was promising forever.
She blinked away tears and smiled.
“I never thought I’d make it to this day,” she whispered to him.
“You did more than make it,” Scott replied. “You saved yourself. I just get to love you for the rest of the ride.”
Chapter 20
In that second, everything–the pain, the fear, the past–fell away.
And all that remained was love
Meanwhile–across the city; Jarren’s eyes snapped open.
Beeping machines surrounded him. His body ached, head pounding from the accident. He blinked trying to remember. The flash of the car. The pain.
Then… Hayley’s face.
Her words, burned into his memory
“You will never have me back, even if you die.”
He jolted up in bed.
“What–what day is it?” he asked the nurse beside him, his voice dry and cracked.
The nurse checked the chart. “It’s Friday, sir.”
The wedding.
Her wedding.
His entire body went rigid.
He pulled off the IVs despite protests and stood, legs wobbling but determined.
“You shouldn’t be walking!” the nurse cried.
But he wasn’t listening.
Back at the villa, the ceremony continued. The vows were next.
Hayley turned to Scott. Her eyes glistened.
“I once thought love meant survival. That I had to endure pain to earn it. But now I know love means peace. Safety. And with you, Scott… I’m finally home.”
Scott swallowed, moved. “You taught me what real strength looks like. Not in silence–but in rising again. I promise to hold you, respect you, and never let you face the dark alone again.”
There wasn’t a dry eye among the guests.
The officiant smiled, about to pronounce them-
SLAM.
The doors burst open.
Everyone turned.
There–sweating, bruised, and breathless–stood Jarren.
“STOP THE WEDDING!”
Gasps echoed.
Hayley’s blood ran cold.
Jarren stumbled down the aisle, eyes locked on her. “Don’t do this, Hayley. Don’t marry him!”
Scott stepped in front of her immediately.
“Get out,” he said firmly.
“No!” Jarren shouted, voice cracking. “This isn’t right. You can’t do this. Not until you hear me-
Chapter 20.
313 21.0%
7:20 pm
until
you let me explain!”
“You’ve said enough,” Scott said, stepping closer.
But Hayley–shaken–raised a hand.
“I’ll handle this,” she whispered, stepping around Scott.
She walked toward Jarren–closer than she had been since the accident.
“I warned you,” she said. “If you came back into my life again, it wouldn’t end the way you wanted.”
“Please,” Jarren begged. “I was wrong. I see it all now. I’ll give up everything. Just… don’t marry
him.”
“I already have,” she said calmly.
Scott stepped forward, wrapping his arm protectively around her waist.
“She’s mine now,” he said. “And you’re too late.”
Jarren’s knees buckled.
And Hayley, with her chin high and her heart steady, whispered her final words:
“You lost me the day you chose to destroy me. Now go before I call the guards.”
7:20 pm G
The wedding was finally done.
