Chapter 12 - A Dream Reclaimed
"She didn't know your exact size, but she guessed," Ethan smiled, handing it to me.
"She wanted you to have something white to wear for our honeymoon."
Tears pricked my eyes all over again.
I took the dress into the bathroom and slipped it on.
It fit perfectly.
The silk was cool and soft against my skin.
It felt like a second chance.
When I walked back out into the bedroom, Ethan stopped breathing for a second.
"Wow," he whispered.
"Do you like it?" I asked, suddenly feeling shy.
"You are the most breathtaking woman in the world," he said, pulling me into a kiss.
The next morning, we boarded a plane for our honeymoon in Greece.
Over the next few weeks, the fallout back home was absolute.
Frank’s company went bankrupt.
Tyler was arrested for wire fraud and embezzlement.
My mother moved to the coast, finalizing her divorce and starting a quiet life managing a small bookstore.
I didn't answer any of my father's frantic voicemails begging for financial help.
I blocked his number, and I blocked Tyler's.
They had tried to destroy the most meaningful day of my life to maintain their power.
Instead, they handed me the perfect opportunity to cut them out of my life forever.
I served in the Air Force for another ten years, retiring as a Major.
Ethan and I built a beautiful home, filled with love, respect, and peace.
Sometimes, I look at our wedding photos.
I don't see a ruined day.
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I see a woman in a crisp blue uniform, standing tall against the darkness, ready to fight for her own happiness.
And I see the exact moment my father realized he had lost forever.
