Chapter 5
The garden looked more beautiful than I expected.
That almost broke me.
White flowers wrapped the arch. Empty chairs blurred in the background where the bigger wedding should have been. Sunlight fell warm through the trees, turning everything gold and soft, like the world was trying to be gentle for once.
My father stood at the edge of the aisle, jaw tight, tears held back with the discipline of a man who had spent his whole life fixing things and had finally met something he could not fix.
Nathan waited near the arch in a black tuxedo.
He looked serious.
Not like an actor.
Like a man making a promise to himself.
I stepped forward slowly, both hands gripping the walker.
The lace of my gown brushed the grass.
The oxygen tube rested against my face.
I hated that everyone could see it.
Then Nathan moved toward me.
Not too much.
Not taking over.
Just close enough to steady my arm when my hand trembled.
“You don’t have to pretend,” I whispered.
I meant it as kindness.
A final reminder.
You can still keep this professional.
You can still walk away clean.
Nathan looked down at my hand, then back at my face.
His voice was steady.
“That was my condition.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“What?”
He leaned closer, so only I could hear.
“If I marry you,” he said softly, “I mean it.”
For a second, I forgot the guests.
The flowers.
The walker.
The diagnosis.
Across the garden, my father stared at Nathan like he had just realized the man beside me was not playing a role.
Then, behind the last row of chairs, I saw Evan.
Gray suit.
Pale face.
Too late.
He stood half-hidden near the trees, watching the moment he had abandoned become real without him.
Nathan saw my eyes shift.
He followed my gaze, then gently tightened his hand around my arm.
Not possessive.
Protective.
May you like
“Keep walking,” he whispered.
So I did.
