Chapter 9 - The Final Ashes of the Past
Six months later.
Spring had returned to North Carolina, blooming in vibrant shades of pink, yellow, and green.
The news regarding the Hale family and Derek Morrison had finally settled into its final, tragic conclusion.
Derek Morrison had been convicted on multiple counts of commercial fraud and structural endangerment. He was currently serving a seven-year sentence at a state correctional facility. His architecture firm was bankrupt, his assets liquidated to pay for repairs on the compromised buildings he had certified.
Brittany Hale had broken off their engagement the day after his arrest. However, the scandal had completely destroyed her father’s company. Benjamin Hale had been forced to liquidate the Hale Development Corporation to settle federal tax liens, retiring in humiliation to a small town in Florida.
As for Rosalie... she was now a healthy, chubby, nine-month-old baby with bright dark eyes and a laugh that filled every corner of Blackwood Manor.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Luca and I stood in the lush gardens of the manor.
A white canopy had been set up over the lawn, surrounded by thousands of white roses. Fifty guests—our closest friends, business partners, and my mother, who had moved back into my life after fleeing her own toxic past—sat in wooden chairs along the aisle.
Music played softly from a string quartet.
I stood at the end of the aisle, wearing a stunning, simple gown of ivory silk. In my arms, I held Rosalie, who wore a matching tiny white dress with a pink ribbon around her waist.
At the altar stood Luca.
He wore a tailored black tuxedo, looking taller and more regal than ever. But as he looked down the aisle at me and our daughter, there was no scar-faced monster, no feared mob patriarch, no cold corporate CEO.
There was only a man madly, irrevocably in love.
I walked down the aisle toward him, my head held high, my heart light and free.
When I reached the altar, Luca stepped down, taking Rosalie gently into his left arm while holding my right hand in his.
The magistrate smiled at us. "We are gathered here today to unite Luca Vance Moretti and Emma Vance in holy matrimony, and to celebrate the family they have built together."
The vows were simple, but every word carried the weight of our journey.
When it was Luca’s turn, he didn't read from a card. He looked directly into my eyes, holding my hand tightly.
"Emma," Luca said, his deep voice carrying across the silent garden. "A year ago, I promised that you would never have to run again. Today, I promise that as long as I draw breath, you will never feel alone, unvalued, or unprotected. You brought light into a darkness I had carried for years. You gave me a daughter, a home, and a reason to live beyond power."
He looked down at Rosalie, who reached out her tiny hand and grunted happily, grabbing his tie.
"I give you my name, my fortune, my life, and my heart," Luca concluded, looking back at me with tears glistening in his dark eyes. "Forever."
Tears of joy spilled down my cheeks as I made my own vows, promising to love, honor, and stand beside him through every storm life might bring.
May you like
"By the power vested in me," the magistrate declared with a broad smile, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Luca, you may kiss your bride."
Luca leaned down, wrapping his arm around my waist, and pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss as the guests erupted into joyous applause and cheers.
