The package arrived with no return address, just her name written in elegant gold script. Inside was a single white envelope, its edges embossed in shimmering gold leaf. Marabelle traced the lettering on the card. A wedding invitation. No couple’s names. Just a date, a time, and a location. Her heart tensed with uncertainty, but she didn’t hesitate. Family was family. Whoever was getting married, she would be there to support them.
On the appointed day, Marabelle stepped into the grand church, her breath catching at the sight before her. White and gold draped every surface—the pews, the altar, the glowing chandeliers overhead. Soft music played, filling the air with anticipation.
Rows of her family lined the aisles, their faces brimming with excitement. She smiled at familiar faces, nodding in greeting, but something felt… off. Whispers passed between her aunts. Her cousins grinned knowingly. She turned her gaze toward the altar. A lone groom stood before the priest, his hands clasped in front of him.
No bride.
A strange weight settled in her chest. She didn’t understand—who was getting married? Where was the bride? Then, the groom turned. Her breath hitched. It was him. Damian. Her Damian. The man who had been her rock, her heart, her impossible love. The one she had spent years waiting for between his travels, meeting in fleeting moments stolen from time. They had spoken of marriage in whispers, in laughter, in passing daydreams—but never like this. Never real. Yet here he was, standing at the altar, waiting for her.
She was frozen, her mind struggling to piece together reality. Then he moved. Damian strode down the aisle with unwavering confidence, his eyes locked onto hers, his smile tender. The entire church hushed, the air thick with expectation. When he reached her, he dropped to one knee.
“Marabelle,” he said, his voice steady, filled with something deep and certain. “I’ve spent years chasing dreams that took me far from you. And every time, I realized my greatest dream was always right here, waiting for me. I don’t want to wait anymore. I don’t want to love you from a distance. I want to love you up close, every single day, for the rest of my life.”
A velvet box appeared in his hands. The room blurred at the edges as a lump formed in her throat. “This isn’t just a wedding invitation,” he murmured, eyes searching hers. “It’s a proposal. Say yes, and we’ll get married today. Right here. Right now.”
Her world tilted, her heart a thunderous drum in her chest. The whispers returned. The expectant smiles. The love woven into every golden detail around her. This had been planned. Thought out. A grand gesture of faith and devotion.
Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, “Yes.”
The church erupted in cheers. Damian slipped the ring onto her trembling finger, then pulled her into his arms. The priest cleared his throat with a knowing smile, and just like that, the ceremony began. And Marabelle, standing at the altar, holding the hands of the man she had loved for so long, finally realized—this had always been their story. A love worth waiting for. And now, a love they would never have to wait for again.
