AURORA'S POV:
There was a kind of quiet that didn't ask for anything.
The kind that wrapped around you without pressure. No expectations. No weight. Just the stillness of something... complete.
That's what the morning felt like.
I woke up in a room that wasn't mine, on white linen sheets that smelled faintly of jasmine and fresh rain. It was the hotel suite we booked weeks ago "just for you," Selena insisted, waving a clipboard at me during one of our final prep meetings. "You need to breathe before the chaos."
But there was no chaos today.
Just sunlight streaming through sheer curtains. Just birds i couldn't name outside. Just the soft rustle of a breeze.
And me, lying still. Breathing. Counting the seconds.
This was my wedding day.
Today, I was going to marry Lance Montenegro.
I thought i'd cry the moment i woke up. Thought i'd crumble under the weight of it. But all i felt was... calm.
Selena arrived around eight, carrying an iced latte in one hand and a curling wand in the other.
"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" she asked, eyes scanning my face as she dropped her bags by the vanity.
I shrugged. "I slept. I woke up at six. Just... lay there for a while."
She smiled. "So you're zen now?"
I nodded. "Weirdly, yes."
"Okay, that's creepy. But I'll take it."
Hair. Makeup. A few deep breaths in between.
A call from Micah, who cried when she saw me on FaceTime. Another from Nico, who yelled, "YOU'RE FINALLY LEAVING ME FOR GOOD!"
It felt like everyone else was emotional enough for me.
Until my mother arrived.
She knocked gently.
I knew it was her before the door even opened.
I stood quickly, smoothing my robe. We hadn't seen each other in weeks, and she wasn't involved in the planning, per my request. Not because i didn't love her—because i knew we'd both fall apart.
She stepped inside.
Her heels clicked gently on the marble. Her eyes landed on me and didn't move.
I held still.
"Hi, Ma," I said quietly.
She looked at me. At my bare face. At my robe. At the soft way the morning lit up the sides of my cheeks.
Then she walked toward me and cupped my face in her hands.
"You're not my little girl anymore," she whispered.
"I'll always be your daughter."
She blinked, and a tear rolled down. I caught it with my thumb.
The dress was still hanging on the rack when the photographer arrived. No one had touched it yet.
I stood in front of it barefoot, just staring.
It wasn't big. It wasn't flashy. It didn't sparkle. But it felt like me. Light ivory. Minimal embroidery. Flowing silk. Open back. I ran my hand across the bodice and whispered to myself, You're ready.
I didn't expect to feel beautiful when i put it on. But i did.
Not because of how i looked.
But because of how far i had come.
The venue wasn't a church.
It wasn't a ballroom either.
It was a quiet garden just outside the city, where the air didn't smell like smog, and the only sounds were wind and laughter. Trees arched over the aisle. Flower petals covered the path. Wooden chairs, soft white ribbons, twinkling lights that would glow by sundown.
As the car pulled up, my breath hitched.
Not because i was nervous.
But because i saw him.
Lance.
Standing under the arch.
Back turned.
Waiting.
They told me to wait a few minutes before stepping out. That the music had to build. That the guests needed to rise.
But i couldn't wait.
I pushed the door open myself, careful not to trip on the hem of my dress. Selena hissed, "AURORA!" from behind, clutching her clipboard, but i just laughed.
Everyone turned.
Gasps.
Whispers.
A few phones raised, only to be lowered again at the polite scolding of one of the coordinators.
But all i saw was him.
He turned slowly.
And when his eyes met mine, he stopped breathing.
Lance never cried.
But his mouth fell open, and i saw the way his hand shook by his side.
I walked alone.
By choice.
Not because i didn't have people who loved me, but because i wanted to meet him halfway.
To say: I got here. On my own.
To say: You didn't save me. But you held my hand when i decided to save myself.
When i reached the arch, he whispered, "You're the most beautiful thing i've ever seen."
I didn't answer.
I just smiled.
The officiant spoke. I barely heard him.
Because all i could think about was every version of myself that had once believed this moment wasn't possible. That i was too broken. Too complicated. Too far gone.
But here i was.
Whole.
Loved.
Seen.
"I vow," Lance said softly, "to never take your fire for granted."
My heart thudded.
"To honor your strength, even on days when you don't feel strong. To protect your softness. To never ask you to be smaller, quieter, or anything less than who you are."
He paused.
"And i promise, no matter how the world spins... I'll choose you. Every time."
I felt the tears before i could stop them.
"My turn," I said, laughing through my breath.
I reached for his hand.
"I vow to be your peace when everything's loud. Your anchor when the world shakes. Your mirror when you forget how good you are."
He smiled, eyes glassy.
"I promise to show up. Even when it's hard. Even when it's scary. Especially then."
"You may now kiss the bride."
I didn't wait for him to move.
I kissed him first.
-
The reception was soft.
Warm.
Everything i wanted.
People danced barefoot on the grass.
Wine glasses clinked gently. Music floated from a small jazz band under fairy lights.
But my favorite part?
We sneaked away.
Just the two of us.
We slipped behind the garden wall, where the stars were brighter, where the world was quieter.
Lance sat on the stone ledge, pulling me gently into his lap.
"I still can't believe it," he whispered.
"What?"
"You're mine."
I brushed his jaw with my thumb. "I was never anyone else's."
He held me like he never wanted to let go.
And i closed my eyes.
I am no longer afraid of beginnings.
And even less afraid of endings.
Because some endings?
Are just the beginning of the life you never thought you deserved.
And now?
I get to live it.
With him.