Chapter 22
Kier returned home quietly, shoulders hunched, eyes bloodshot, soul hollow.”
There was no place for him in Paris anymore. No more chances to fix what he broke. No more waiting for Erika to look back.”
He had watched her try on wedding dresses with someone else. He had watched her laugh, finally free from the pain he once caused. That was his answer.
He had lost her.”
And so, he drank.“}
Glass after glass. Alone in the dark, the taste of whiskey burning down his throat like regret. Until the bottle was empty and so was he. He passed out on the couch, dreams spinning in the scent of her perfume he could barely remember.}
When Kier finally woke the next morning, his head pounding, he stumbled into the kitchen–only to be greeted by Camille’s shrill voice slicing through the air.
“Can you believe it?” she snapped. “The show I was supposed to walk in–the one that was promised to me–was given to her! Erika! Everyone’s lining up to see her now. They don’t even care who I am anymore!“}]
Kier rubbed his temples.
Camille paced furiously. “She’s taken everything from me! My spotlight, my man, you–“>
“That’s enough,” Kier said sharply, his voice low but dangerous.}
She froze. “What?”
He looked her in the eye, sober and clear for the first time in days. “No one in this family will hurt her again. Not one more word. Not one more act.”
Camille’s lip curled. “You’re still defending her?“>
“Yes,” Kier said. “Because we ruined her, Camille. And now she finally has peace. If I ever find out that you do anything to take that away from her, I swear–I will be the one to destroy you.”}
Silence.
Then a cough came from the hallway.”
It was David.
He looked older now. Weaker. His skin pale, hands trembling slightly as he leaned against the doorway. “I’ve been thinking about it, too,” David said quietly. “What we did to her. All of it.”
F = IF XÕE
Kier looked at him, surprised.}
David coughed again, then slowly stepped into the room. “I’m not well. The doctors said it might be time… And all I can think about is her mother. How disappointed she would be in the way I treated Erika. My own daughter.“}
“You should tell her,” Kier said.
“I did,” David whispered. “Letters. I’ve written plenty.“}
Back in Paris, Erika was preparing for the biggest day of her life.
The atelier was filled with the hum of sewing machines, the rustle of tulle and silk, and the sound of her own laughter. She stood in front of the mirror as the dressmaker adjusted the waistline of her gown.
“She’s stunning,” someone whispered behind her.
Erika turned–smiling–only to find Riley walking in with two cups of coffee.
“You’re early,” she said, grinning.
“I like seeing you in white,” he replied.?
She rolled her eyes playfully but accepted the coffee.
The day had gone by in a blur. Florists finalizing colors. Musicians practicing at the garden venue. The smell of jasmine and lilacs floating in through the windows.
Her phone buzzed.
It was another letter.
From Arthur
She didn’t open it right away. She had received three more the day before. One from Kier. One from her father. All filled with apologies, sorrow, reflections too late to fix what had already been done.
She sat quietly for a moment and opened Arthur’s.
Mom,&
I understand now. Everything. And I’m sorry for not standing by you when it mattered. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But even if you never write back, I’ll be here. Loving you from afar. Wishing you peace. I hope your wedding day is beautiful. I hope you feel as loved as you’ve always made others feel. -Your son, Arthur
Her chest tightened.
She didn’t cry.”
She smiled, just faintly. A little broken, a little soft.#
12:39 PM S
She didn’t cry.”
She smiled, just faintly. A little broken, a little soft.
Maybe she had forgiven them.
But forgiveness didn’t mean forgetting.
And it didn’t mean letting them back in.
Not yet.”
0
She folded the letter and placed it in a small velvet box where the others rested. That was all she could offer for now.”
Outside, Riley appeared again with a clipboard in hand, fussing over last–minute arrangements.”
“Don’t worry,” he told her, walking back in. “I made sure no press gets in without permission. This is your day.“}
She looked at him, this man who had held her hand through darkness, who waited without forcing, who kissed her like she was the only one left in the world.
“I never imagined it would be like this,” she said.
He smiled. “Neither did 1.”
“Are you nervous?“>
“Terrified,” he grinned. “But only because I want to do it right.”
“You already are,” she whispered.
He kissed her forehead, gently.
And in that moment, Erika realized something she had never known she could feel again.
She was ready.”
Not just to marry him.
But to live without fear.
And tomorrow, she would walk down the aisle–free, fearless, and loved.}
