Chapter Twenty Seven
Saint
I dressed in the same suit I’d worn the night I took her. It felt fitting, like closing a circle. When I turned to her, she was dressed, and she looked better than I could have imagined. I didn’t think we would get to this day.
It was hard not just to stand there and stare at her.
I had the SUV we’d arrived at my mother’s in switched out for a Mercedes-Benz with butter-soft leather seats.
The park was quiet when we arrived, eerily so. I was sure Luciano had something to do with that. He stood in the distance, a shadow among shadows, his presence a silent reminder of the world we lived in. Isabella and Jason were already there, standing awkwardly near the gazebo. Isabella’s eyes lit up when she saw Aria, and she rushed forward, pulling her into a hug.
“Thank you for doing this,” Isabella whispered, loud enough for me to hear. “He’s letting us go. He’s giving us money—enough to start over.”
Aria’s eyes met mine, and for a moment, I thought she might argue. But she didn’t. She just nodded, her expression unreadable.
“That’s good, Isabella,” she said softly. “You know how to reach me when you’re settled.”
The priest cleared his throat, his voice echoing through the quiet park. “We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Though the circumstances may be unexpected, marriage is a sacred bond, one built on trust, commitment, and—”
I barely heard the rest. The air smelled like fresh earth and dying roses, the scent of something beautiful and fleeting. The trees rustled overhead, their branches casting shifting shadows across the gazebo. Aria stood beside me, her body still, her fingers twitching at her sides. Jason and Isabella stood nearby, their presence a reminder of the stakes.
“Do you, Saint, take Aria to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” My voice was firm, unwavering. I had never been so sure of anything in my life.
The priest turned to her. “And do you, Aria, take Saint—”
Her lips parted, but for a heartbeat, she didn’t speak.
My chest tightened, my fingers twitching at my sides.
Then finally she said it. “I do.” But she wouldn’t look at me. Her eyes stayed fixed on the priest, her expression unreadable.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
I didn’t wait for him to give me permission to kiss my wife. I took her face in my hands, my fingers pressing into her skin. Something had me feeling like she might slip away if I didn’t hold tight enough. Then, I kissed her. And she kissed me back because she wanted to. Her lips moved against mine, slow at first, soft, testing. Then, something deeper, something that made my chest ache. I tried to put all the feelings that I couldn’t say in that kiss. I love you, I’m sorry. I need you. Please don’t go. Stay.
Her fingers curled into the lapels of my jacket, her body pressing into mine like she needed me as much as I needed her.
When she finally pulled away, her breaths were uneven, her gaze searching mine. My thumb brushed over her lower lip, and for a moment, I forgot where we were.
Isabella grabbed Aria’s hands, her voice soft but laced with warning. “Be careful.”
Aria squeezed her hand before pulling away. “I’ll be fine.”
Jason muttered something under his breath as he walked away, but we both ignored it. He was lucky he was even alive.
Without another word, I led my wife to the car. The drive back to my mother’s house was silent, the weight of what had just happened settling between us. She kept turning the ring on her finger.
I carried her over the threshold, her laughter soft and unexpected, like a crack of light in the darkness. Just as I set her down and started pulling her toward the stairs, a sharp knock echoed through the living room.
Aria stiffened beside me, her grip on my arm tightening. I reached for my weapon, but her fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me.
“Don’t,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Slowly, she exhaled, meeting my gaze. “I’m sorry.”
Before I could react, the door opened.
I blinked. Drake Heart. How was her father standing there, alive and whole? His presence felt like a betrayal from Aria. She could have told me.
I looked at her, anger coiling my muscles. “Aria—”
She just shrugged, her expression unreadable. “There’s old sleeping pills in the cabinet. I drugged your water. While you were knocked out, I did ask the Uber driver for help...”
Then I heard a second set of footsteps enter the house. Before I could say anything or react, pain exploded in my skull, and I was falling. The last thing I saw was Aria’s face, her eyes filled with something that looked like regret, before everything went black.