Georgia’s POV
The woman staring back at from the mirror didn’t look like the sa one who suffered from everything.
Her reflection shimred under the soft glow of the vanity lights — hair perfectly curled, swept to one side, and adorned with delicate crystal pins that caught the light like tiny stars. My makeup artist had done a wonderful job, accentuating my eyes, brushing warmth onto my cheeks, and painting my lips in a rosy hue that made look like I was glowing from the inside.
I blinked once. Then twice.
I smiled.
God, I actually looked like a bride.
The kind of bride who survived storms and still learned how to love.
My gaze drifted to the open balcony doors. The soft ocean breeze entered the room, carrying with it the scent of salt, jasmine, and sunset. The sky outside was slowly lting from gold into rose, and the waves reflected every shade of it.
I could hear faint laughter from sowhere near the beach — the music playing, the soft static sound from the mic testing, the muted hum of the live band tuning their instrunts.
And for a mont, everything was still.
No fear. No confusion. No heaviness.
Just peace.
I chuckled softly to myself as I rembered last night.
No tears today.
I had already cried every drop of them last night.
After the resort staff played Nick’s video, everything inside broke open — but not in a painful way. It was as if every locked door inside my mind burst open all at once, flooding with the mories I thought I’d never get back.
The first ti I t Nick.
The argunts we had.
The way he held when I was falling apart.
The way he looked at like I was both the storm and the calm after it.
And then Vicky, in her usual dramatic flair, decided to play another video — one of them performing the song Nick had written for . Claim .
I laughed, rembering that mont — the chaos of it. Vicky pretending to be , Ella trying not to cry and laugh while pretending to be Nick, lanie and Bella holding pretend microphones made from hairbrushes, Jenny on the makeshift drums using champagne bottles and spoons.
It was ridiculous and sweet all at once.
But when the chorus ca —
"Fated, marked by the universe
Feelings deeper than the oceans
Pull stronger than gravity
Emotions sweeter than the waters
Fated, sung by distant winds
Born beneath different moons
Cradled under distant skies
Emotions sweeter than the waters
Claim , Claim
Emotions sweeter than the waters
To the fire we’ve always burned
Emotions sweeter than the waters
To the fire we’ve always burned"
— It hit like a wave. No! It was a freaking tsunami!
Every scene, every photo, every laugh in that video — from the day Nancy pushed , to the tis Nick looked after when I was vulnerable, all the way until the night before I was kidnapped — all of it was there.
He had pieced together my story.
Our story.
I tried my best to finish watching without crying, but when the video ended, I just couldn’t speak. My chest was tight. My heart full.
So, I smiled through the cheers and laughter and said, "I think I’ll rest now."
The girls believed . They ordered another round of champagne and continued celebrating.
But ?
I slipped into my room, turned off the lights, and curled into my bed.
And that’s when the tears ca.
Silent, uncontrollable, endless.
Not because I was sad. But because I finally rembered everything.
The pain, the love, the loss, and the way Nick had never stopped fighting for — not once.
That’s why I didn’t reply to his ssage last night.
Because this ti, I wanted to surprise him, and if I reply back, I might not be able to stop myself from calling him and telling him the good news.
I wanted to stand in front of him, look into his eyes, and let him see that I rembered — every word, every touch, every promise.
And now, here I was.
Sitting in front of this mirror, waiting for the right ti to walk toward him.
I reached for my phone and stared at the picture of the small compass I had given him as a gift for our wedding — the one engraved with "May you always find your way back to ."
I ran my thumb over the screen, smiling softly.
"I found my way back, Captain. It’s all thanks to you, my love," I whispered to the air.
A gentle knock at the door pulled from my thoughts.
It was Wendy.
She peeked in first, her warm smile as radiant as ever. "Wow, you are such a beautiful bride, my dear. Everyone’s getting ready outside. It’s almost ti."
She walked toward and placed her hands on my shoulders, her reflection appearing behind mine in the mirror. Her eyes softened, the way only Wendy’s could.
"You look absolutely divine, sweetheart."
"Thank you," I whispered, trying not to tear up again.
She reached for my veil, adjusting it carefully before letting it cascade down my back like a trail of light. Her movents were gentle, like how my mom used to be. "There," she said, her voice tender. "Now you’re ready to make him forget how to breathe."
I laughed, shaking my head. "You sound just like Vicky."
"Well," she chuckled, "maybe she rubbed off on a little."
But then I rembered sothing — sothing important. "Wendy, where’s Prudence?" I asked softly. "She was supposed to walk with us."
Wendy paused for a mont, her hands still lingering near the veil. "Ah... I was going to tell you about that."
I turned to face her fully, my heart fluttering with curiosity.
She smiled — the kind of smile that carried both sadness and joy. "Violet finalized her divorce from Benjamin yesterday," Wendy began. "And she told Nick that she wants to give Prudence back her place — as his real mother."
I blinked, stunned for a mont. "Wait, what?"
Wendy nodded gently. "Prudence told to tell you that she’ll be waiting beside her son at the end of the aisle with open arms, ready to welco you as her daughter-in-law. Officially."
Sothing warm blood inside my chest.
For so long, everything had been so complicated — so full of broken ties and hidden truths.
But this... this was peace.
I felt tears prickling my eyes again, but I blinked them back. No. Not this ti. No more crying. Not on my wedding day.
Instead, I smiled at Wendy — my constant companion, my second mother, the woman who stood by through every storm.
"Then it’s settled," I said, standing from the chair and smoothing my dress
I turned to Wendy and extended my hand toward her.
"Walk down the aisle, Wendy," I said softly. "Make my family in heaven proud and grateful... to you..." — my voice trembled, but I didn’t look away — "that you stayed by my side despite all the problems that ca into my life after they were gone."
She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
I smiled through the lump in my throat, my hand still reaching out to her.
Outside, the music began — I took a deep breath, ready to step into forever. A lifeti with my true love, Captain Nicholas Knight.
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