WEDDING SPECIAL - The Day She Became My Wife
Adrian's POV
I didn't sleep the night before my wedding.Not because I was nervous.Not because I was having second thoughts.And definitely not because I was afraid.I didn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes, I saw her.
Lia.
Walking toward me.Smiling.Wearing a white dress.Becoming my wife.The word still felt unreal.
Wife.
For years, I convinced myself I wasn't built for things like this.Love.Marriage.Forever.Men like me didn't get forever.
We got control.
Power.
Money.
Empty penthouses.
Empty victories.
And long nights pretending loneliness didn't hurt.Then Lia happened.And suddenly forever didn't sound impossible anymore.
It sounded necessary.
—
At three in the morning, I gave up on sleep entirely.The city remained dark outside the penthouse windows.Rain threatened in the distance.I stood in the kitchen drinking coffee I didn't need while staring at my phone.
Pathetic.
Completely pathetic.
Still—there she was.My lock screen.A picture Sofia took months ago without either of us noticing.
Lia sitting on a piano bench laughing at something I'd said.
The image softened something inside my chest every single time I saw it.
Today was no different.Today just felt heavier.
Because in less than twelve hours, she would become my wife.
Mine.
The possessive word entered my mind automatically.As it always did.The difference now was that I no longer felt guilty about it.Because today—she would become mine.
And I would become hers.
—
"You look terrible."
I glanced toward the doorway.Sofia stood there holding coffee.Of course she did.She always appeared whenever I needed emotional harassment.
"I haven't slept."
"No kidding."
She studied me for a moment.
Then smiled softly.
Interesting.
Sofia rarely smiled softly.
"You okay?"
The question surprised me.I looked back toward the city.The answer should have been easy.Instead, it settled somewhere deep inside my chest.
"No."
Sofia frowned slightly.
That got her attention.
"I've spent years preparing for today."
The admission sounded strange aloud.Because it was true.Long before the proposal.Long before the engagement.Long before Lia even realized what she meant to me.
I'd been preparing.Planning.Building a future around her.Sofia remained silent.For once.
So I continued.
"And now it's here."
The words felt heavier than expected.
Real.
Permanent.
Terrifying.
Sofia's expression softened.
"You love her."
Simple statement.
Simple truth.
I looked down at the wedding band resting on the kitchen counter.Then smiled.A real smile.The kind Lia always brought out of me.
"More than I know how to explain."
—
The venue overlooked the water.Exactly the way Lia wanted.Simple elegance.White roses.Soft music.Nothing excessive.Nothing performative.
Just beautiful.
Just her.
I arrived hours early.
Naturally.
Because apparently billion-dollar negotiations never made me nervous, but marrying Lia Valencia turned me into a psychopath who showed up three hours before the ceremony.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The guests slowly arrived.Family.Friends.Business associates.People who mattered.People who had watched our story unfold.Yet none of them held my attention for long.Because every few minutes, my eyes drifted toward the entrance.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
For her.
—
The ceremony started at four.At exactly four fifteen, I genuinely considered finding whoever was responsible for delaying the schedule.Then Sofia informed me the bride was intentionally hidden from me.
Apparently that's normal.
Still seemed inefficient.
—
The music finally started.Conversations quieted.Guests stood.And suddenly—everything inside me stopped.Because she appeared.At the end of the aisle.
—
I forgot how to breathe.Completely.Utterly.Forgot.The world disappeared.The guests disappeared.The music disappeared.
Even time itself seemed to pause.Because there she was.Lia.My Lia.Wearing white.Beautiful enough to make my chest physically hurt.
God.
I wasn't prepared for this.Not even close.For years I'd imagined this moment.Hundreds of times.Thousands.Yet nothing compared to reality.Nothing.She looked nervous.
Happy.
Emotional.
Perfect.
And when her eyes found mine—she smiled.Everything inside me shattered.
Quietly.
Completely.
Because suddenly I realized something.After everything.
The loneliness.
The obsession.
The mistakes.
The fear.
Every path in my life somehow led here.To this moment.To her.Walking toward me.Choosing me.
Again.
And again.
And again.
—
The closer she got, the harder it became to think.I noticed everything.The way her hands trembled slightly.The tears threatening in her eyes.The softness in her expression whenever she looked at me.Like I was something precious.
The realization nearly destroyed me.Because nobody had ever looked at me that way before.Not my father.Not the world.Not anyone.Only Lia.Always Lia.
When she finally reached the altar, I took her hand immediately.Instinct.Need.Love.The second our fingers touched, everything settled.There she was.
Safe.
Real.
Here.
Mine.
And for the first time all day—I could breathe again.
—
The officiant started speaking.I barely heard a word.Because Lia kept looking at me.
Smiling.
Crying.
Laughing softly through her tears.And every single expression felt like a gift.The greatest gift I'd ever been given.
The woman I loved.The woman who saved me.The woman who taught me loneliness wasn't strength.The woman who taught me that home could be a person.
And in a few minutes—she would be my wife.