Chapter 185: Chapter 185

The sunlight hadn’t even touched the curtains when I woke up.

The air felt different. It felt calmer but I was giddy on the inside.

My fingers reached instinctively for the other side of the bed, but Jace’s warmth was gone. His scent lingered though. His clean, masculine and grounding smell that made me want to snuggle into him every time. It was all over the sheets, in my hair, in the quiet hum of the morning.

For a long moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the reality of it all settle in.

Today, I was marrying the love of my life again.

Not because we had to. Not because someone’s signature demanded it or because of some letter his father wrote years ago. But because we wanted to. Because every storm we’d walked through somehow led back here.

I smiled to myself, rolling onto my side. The clock read 6:47 a.m. I should’ve been anxious, but I wasn’t. There was no panic, no racing heartbeat. Just peace and quiet, the steady kind that comes from being right where you’re meant to be.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Jace: Morning, mia cara.

Jace: Before you get mad — yes, I stole your favorite mug again. The coffee tastes better when it’s stolen.

I laughed softly, biting my lip as I typed back. The source of this content ɪs novᴇlfire.net

Me: You’re impossible.

Jace: And you love me that way.

I could practically hear his smirk.

I got out of bed, padding barefoot across the room, and opened the curtains. The whole city stretched beneath me. Somewhere out there, he was probably pacing, trying not to explode from excitement. That thought alone made me grin.

Mu shower was warm and unhurried. I let the water run through my hair, closing my eyes as I thought about the last few years. The chaos, the heartbreak, the rebuilding. All of it had shaped us. This love wasn’t shiny or perfect. It was scarred and earned. And maybe that was what made it real.

By the time I stepped out, the team Cecilia sent was already at the door.

Makeup artists, hairstylists, the designer’s assistant. Soon, it all felt so surreal. I never imagined getting a second wedding morning, let alone one .

They worked around me with quiet laughter and soft chatter. One of them hummed while curling my hair, another complimented my skin, and I just sat there smiling, trying to memorize everything; the smell of perfume in the air, the soft rustle of fabric, the distant sound of music playing from someone’s phone.

Few hours later, Cecilia peeked in, clipboard in hand. "How’s my favorite bride?"

I met her eyes through the mirror. "Ready."

"You sure?" she teased. "You look like you could cry."

"I probably will," I admitted. "But in a good way."

She smiled knowingly. "I love that for you."

When they zipped up my gown later, I had to close my eyes for a second. The lace hugged me perfectly, the soft train pooled around my feet like clouds. It wasn’t heavy or overdone. It was just me and I knew Jace would love it.

I turned toward the mirror, and the woman staring back looked nothing like the girl I once was.

This time, she wasn’t scared. She was whole.

Tomas had been adjusting my tie for the fifth time, and I still didn’t care. My hands were in my pockets, my mind somewhere else entirely.

"Stop fidgeting," he muttered.

"I can’t." I muttered.

"You’re acting like you’ve never done this before."

"Yeah, but I didn’t do it right before."

He sighed dramatically. "You’re hopeless."

Maybe I was. But the thought of seeing her walk down that aisle again had me feeling like a man seeing sunlight after years of darkness.

Roberto had texted earlier that morning.

"Don’t make her cry too early in the ceremony. Save it for the vows."

I’d chuckled. For once, even he sounded like family.

My phone buzzed again.

Mira: You’re not allowed to see me before the ceremony. I mean it.

Me: Bad luck’s never stopped me before.

Mira: Try it, and you’ll sleep on the couch tonight.

Me: My brave little tyrant.

That last message hit somewhere deep.

I pocketed my phone and looked around the suite. Everything was in motion — security briefings, decorations being checked, guests starting to arrive. But none of it mattered. All I could think about was her.

Tomas cleared his throat beside me. "She’ll be here soon. You ready, boss?"

"I’ve been ready since the day she left and I realized I couldn’t breathe without her."

He gave me a rare smile. "Then today’s your reset button."

By midday, everything felt suspended in a dream. The hall shimmered with soft candlelight, white florals, and gold details that didn’t scream luxury, they whispered it instead.

Cecilia fussed with my veil while whispering last-minute reminders. "Deep breaths. Walk slow. Don’t trip."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I’ve done this before, remember?"

I could barely remember how that went but whatever.

"Exactly," she smirked. "So let’s make this one count."

When the music started, my breath caught. The doors opened, and time seemed to stop.

Jace stood at the end of the aisle, dark suit tailored perfectly, eyes locked on me like I was the only thing in the room.

Every step I took toward him felt like walking through every memory — the fights, the laughter, the heartbreak, the healing. By the time I reached him, my eyes burned with tears I didn’t want to blink away.

His smile was slow and real. It the kind that reached his eyes.

As he took my hand, he said; "You look like forever, mia cara."

"And you," I whispered, voice trembling, "look like home."

When it was time to say our vows, my hands trembled. Not from fear from the weight of everything these words carried.

Cecilia handed me the small card I’d written on, but I didn’t need it. Every word was etched into me already.

I looked up at him. The man who had once been my storm and somehow became my shelter.

The guests faded away. It was just us.

"Jace," I began, my voice barely steady, "the first time I married you, I didn’t know what I was walking into. I was scared. Angry. Confused. You were a stranger wearing a mask I didn’t understand."

I paused, eyes stinging. He smiled faintly, that quiet smile that always steadied me.

"But now," I continued softly, "I know the man behind that mask. I know the way your silence hides your kindness, the way your control hides how deeply you feel. I’ve seen you at your strongest, at your weakest, and somehow you still choose love even when it’s messy, even when it hurts."

I drew in a shaky breath. "You’ve taught me that love isn’t about perfect beginnings or smooth paths. It’s about coming back every time, no matter how many times we break."

My voice caught, but I kept going.

"So today, I choose you again. Without fear. Without hesitation. I choose you in laughter and in silence, in peace and in chaos. I choose you when it’s easy, and I’ll still choose you when it’s hard."

A small tear slipped down my cheek. "You were never the fairytale, Jace. You were the truth. And that’s all I ever wanted."

When I finished, I saw his jaw tighten, eyes glinting. The kind of look he gave only when he was holding too much inside.

When she reached me, everything inside me stilled.

The crowd faded. The music dulled.

Mira — my anchor, my undoing, my everything.

Her hand trembled in mine, but her eyes were steady. I knew what she was thinking. I was thinking it too. We were thinking about the fact that somehow, against every odd, we’d found our way back to each other.

The officiant’s voice blurred in the background. All I could focus on was the way her thumb brushed over mine, the slight curve of her smile, the way her lips parted just before she whispered, "I love you."

I didn’t wait for my turn. I said it back right there, out of sync, breaking protocol and not caring one bit.

When she said her vows, I couldn’t breathe for a moment. It was the most profound thing I had ever heard in my life. She saw that I was stunned and she laughed softly, tears spilling.

That laugh was the sound I wanted to hear for the rest of my life. I managed to gather myself as the officiant said it was time for my own vows.

I had rehearsed my vows a dozen times in my head.

None of them survived the moment she looked at me like that.

So I didn’t read from a card.

"Mira," I said, my voice low, "the first time I met you, I thought you were a complication. A problem I needed to solve."

A soft laugh rippled through the crowd, but I didn’t smile. My eyes stayed on hers.

"But then you became the only thing that made sense in a world that never did."

She blinked fast, her lips trembling.

"I’ve done terrible things in my life. Things I can’t undo. But the one thing I’ll never regret, not even for a second, is loving you."

The words felt like they were pulled from deep inside me. "You were my punishment, my redemption, and somehow, my peace. You fought me when I deserved it, forgave me when I didn’t, and stayed when walking away would’ve been easier."

I reached for her hand. "You once told me that love shouldn’t hurt. But the truth is — real love does. It changes you. It burns through everything you thought you were until all that’s left is what really matters. And for me, that’s you."

She sniffled, smiling through her tears.

"So I make you this promise," I continued. "From this day forward, I’ll protect your joy like it’s my own. I’ll keep your heart safe, even from me. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that every version of me the sinner, the fighter, the man — belongs only to you."

I exhaled slowly, my throat tight. "You’re my beginning, my middle, and my never-ending."

The officiant smiled softly. "You may exchange your rings."

When the ceremony ended, and I finally kissed her, the world erupted around us in cheers, claps, music, but in my head, it was silence. Just the sound of her heartbeat against mine.

As we walked out together, hand in hand, I realized this wasn’t just a wedding.

It was a resurrection.

Every scar, every wound, every dark night we’d endured had led to this morning filled with light.

And as the sun broke fully through the clouds, I knew it for certain.

This was our forever.