The name fell like a prayer that had never been fully spoken.
Before her, the blue gem reflected the candlelight beautiful, serene, and cruel in its calmness. Every fragment fell into place now, the coat, the silence, the overly careful attention, the postponed promises, the words that had never been said.
Valerie stood rigid.
She didn't cry. She didn't move.
Some wounds choose silence, because no sound could change what had already happened. Ethan stood beside her without speaking he knew that words, now, would only feel like an insult.
Beneath the cloak, Valerie's hand clenched, then slowly loosened. She released a long breath, like someone who had just accepted a verdict handed down by her own fate.
Below them, the ceremony continued.
Above it, a heart learned how to say goodbye even before it had ever been given the chance to say farewell.
The wedding was real.
