WEDDING SPECIAL - Until My Last Breath
Adrian's POV
The officiant smiled.
"I believe the groom has prepared his vows."
Every guest turned toward me.Normally, that wouldn't have bothered me.I'd spoken before thousands of shareholders.Addressed international conferences.Negotiated billion-dollar acquisitions without a second thought.
Today...My hands were shaking.Because this was the only audience that mattered.Only one person whose opinion could change my world.
Lia.
She stood in front of me wearing white.Tears already shimmering in her eyes.The sight almost made me forget how to speak.
Again.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I took a slow breath.Then reached for both of her hands.They were warm.
Soft.
Real.
"I'm supposed to tell you why I love you."
A quiet laugh rippled through the guests.
I smiled.
"The problem is..."
"I don't think there are enough words."
Lia smiled through her tears.
Good.
If she smiled—I could keep going.
"For a long time, I believed love was something that happened to other people."
"I thought my life would always be measured by numbers."
"Profit."
"Success."
"Power."
"I thought if I worked hard enough..."
"I wouldn't notice how empty everything felt."
I paused.
Looking only at her.
"Then one ordinary morning..."
"You walked into a lecture hall wearing an oversized sweater."
A soft laugh escaped Lia.
"So casually."
"So completely unaware..."
"...that you were about to change someone's entire life."
I smiled.
"You taught me that strength isn't refusing to love."
"It's choosing someone every day."
"You taught me that home isn't made of walls."
"It's made of one person waiting for you."
"You taught me that happiness doesn't have to be earned."
"It can simply be shared."
My voice became quieter.
More honest.
"I promise that no matter how busy life becomes..."
"I will always make time to listen."
"Even when your stories are longer than mine."
Lia laughed.
The guests laughed with her.
"I promise to make coffee every morning."
"Even though you'll probably steal mine."
"I promise to hold your hand whenever you need it."
"And even when you don't."
"I promise to remind you how beautiful you are..."
"Especially on the days you don't believe it yourself."
The silence around us felt sacred.
"I cannot promise life will always be easy."
"There will be difficult seasons."
"There will be losses."
"There will be days when neither of us has the right words."
"But I promise..."
"I will never let you face them alone."
I felt tears gathering.
For once—I didn't hide them.
"Before you..."
"I survived."
"After you..."
"I finally started living."
He smiled softly.
"And if I get one miracle in this lifetime..."
"I hope it's growing old beside you."
"I hope it's watching our children become extraordinary."
"I hope it's still holding your hand when our hair turns gray."
"And if one day..."
"...many years from now..."
"I forget everything else..."
"I hope I still remember your name."
His voice broke.Because the thought hurt.Even as imagination.
"I choose you today."
"I'll choose you tomorrow."
"I'll choose you for the rest of my life."
"I love you, Lia."
"I always will."
The entire garden had fallen silent.The only sound came from quiet sniffles among the guests.Even Sofia was crying.She'd never admit it.But she was.The officiant turned toward Lia.
"And do you..."
Lia never let him finish.
"I do."
The words came instantly.Without hesitation.Without doubt.
The guests laughed warmly.
The officiant smiled.
"I was going to finish the question."
"I know."
Lia wiped away another tear.
"But my answer wasn't going to change."
I couldn't stop smiling.
"I do."
The officiant finally looked back at me.
"And you, Adrian Monteverde?"
I never looked away from Lia.
"I do."
Not quietly.
Not dramatically.
Simply...Completely.
"I do."
The officiant closed his book.Then smiled at both of us.
"By the love you've shown one another..."
"...I now pronounce you husband and wife."
"You may kiss your bride."
For one heartbeat—we simply stood there.Smiling.Laughing softly through tears.
Then I cupped Lia's face gently.Like she was the most precious thing I'd ever held.Because she was.I kissed her slowly.Not because anyone was watching.Because I'd waited my whole life to kiss my wife.
Applause erupted around us.Cheers echoed through the garden.Flower petals floated through the air.
Somewhere behind us, Sofia yelled—
"IT'S ABOUT TIME!"
The guests burst into laughter.Even Lia laughed against my lips.When we finally pulled apart, I rested my forehead against hers.
"Hello, Mrs. Monteverde."
Her smile grew even brighter.
"I've been waiting to hear that."
—
The reception began as the sun dipped below the horizon.Music drifted through the estate.Crystal lights hung from the trees.The gardens glowed beneath hundreds of tiny lanterns.
People danced.
Laughed.
Shared stories.
For the first time in my life...the Monteverde estate no longer felt cold.It felt alive.Because Lia had filled it with love.
—
Then Sofia walked onto the stage.Immediately—I became suspicious.She was smiling far too confidently.
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
"I've known Adrian for a very long time."
Several guests nodded.
"I'd like everyone to know that today's groom is a liar."
The room erupted into confused laughter.
I sighed.
Here we go.
"He keeps telling people he fell in love with Lia at university."
She looked directly at me.
"You didn't."
I closed my eyes briefly.
She continued anyway.
"You were obsessed before that."
Lia turned toward me.One eyebrow slowly lifting.
Interesting.
Very dangerous.
Sofia grinned.
"He memorized her coffee order."
Laughter.
"He knew what bus she took."
More laughter.
"He had a spreadsheet."
The laughter doubled.
"And—"
She paused dramatically.
"He bought the engagement ring months before proposing."
The room exploded.
Lia stared at me.
"You had a spreadsheet?"
I cleared my throat.
"Several."
The entire reception dissolved into laughter.Even I couldn't help smiling.Sofia raised her champagne glass.
"So here's to the man who spent years pretending he wasn't hopelessly in love..."
"...and to the woman patient enough to marry him anyway."
Everyone cheered.
Including me.
—
Later that evening, the band invited us to the dance floor.The music slowed.The lights dimmed.I held Lia close.Her head rested against my shoulder.We moved slowly together.Neither of us speaking.We didn't need to.
"You look happy."
She whispered it so quietly I almost missed it.
I smiled.
"I am."
"Happier than you expected?"
I looked into her eyes.
"No."
She frowned playfully.
"No?"
"I'm exactly as happy as I imagined I'd be."
Her smile softened.
"You imagined this?"
I laughed.
"For years."
She shook her head.
"I should've known."
"You probably should have."
She rested her forehead against mine.
"So..."
"How long?"
I already knew what she meant.
How long had I loved her?
I looked around the reception.
Our families.
Our friends.
The lights.
The music.
Our first night as husband and wife.Then back at the woman who had quietly become every dream I'd ever dared to keep.
I smiled.
"The truth?"
She nodded.
"I think..."
"I started falling in love with you the day you walked into that lecture hall."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"But I knew..."
I gently brushed it away.
"...the day I realized I couldn't imagine tomorrow if you weren't in it."
She wrapped her arms around me.Holding me tightly.
"I wish I'd found you sooner."
I kissed her forehead.
"So do I."
Then I smiled.
"But every road I walked..."
"Every mistake I made..."
"Every lonely night..."
"They all led me here."
I looked down at the wedding ring on my hand.
Then at hers.
Finally...
Everything felt complete.
"I'd walk every one of those roads again..."
"...if they still ended with you."
Lia smiled through happy tears.
"So would I."
Beneath a sky filled with stars...
Surrounded by the people we loved...
Our first dance slowly came to an end.Not as the conclusion of our story.But as the beginning of every chapter still waiting to be written.
Forever had finally begun.
Together.