Chapter 18 - The WeddingBen proposed without an audience.
No giant diamond.
No restaurant.
No spectacle.
Just our kitchen.
“Emily, would you like to marry me?”
I cried.
Then I asked for five minutes.
He smiled.
“Take ten.”
I went outside.
I asked myself one question:
Am I saying yes because I'm afraid of losing him?
The answer was no.
I could say no.
He would be disappointed.
He might hurt.
But he would not punish me.
He would not threaten me.
He would not take Lily.
He would respect my answer.
That was why I could say yes.
The wedding was small.
Fifty people.
Dad.
Mark.
Diane.
Lily.
Ben's family.
No one gave me away.
I walked the entire distance myself.
Lily held the rings.
Our vows were simple.
We promised honesty.
Respect.
Room for change.
And one thing more:
We would never use pain as a weapon.
When we kissed, Lily shouted:
“FINALLY!”
Everyone laughed.
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For the first time, marriage didn't feel like a locked room.
It felt like a choice.
