Chapter 10 - The Forever Truth"Do you, Adrien Cole, take Vanessa Hart to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, through wealth and through struggle, in the light and in the truth, for as long as you both shall live?"
I looked into Vanessa’s eyes—the eyes of the woman who had quietly fought my battles, who had risked her own freedom to protect my legacy, and who had loved me even when I was too blind to see my own reflection in the mirror of a beggar's coat.
"I do," I said, my voice echoing clearly through the chapel.
"And do you, Vanessa Hart, take Adrien Cole to be your lawfully wedded husband..."
"I do," she answered, her voice ringing out with absolute, unwavering conviction.
The rings were exchanged. The vows were spoken without a single shadow of doubt or hesitation.
When the pastor finally smiled and said, "You may kiss the bride," I pulled Vanessa into my arms and kissed her—not as a test, not as a game, but as a man who had finally found his way home.
The applause from our small circle of family and friends filled the chapel, warm and bright and completely real.
Later that evening, as we stood on the balcony of our new home overlooking the sparkling lights of the city skyline, Vanessa leaned her head against my shoulder, her fingers intertwined with mine.
"Penny for your thoughts, Mr. Cole?" she asked softly.
May you like
I looked down at the city below us, at the skyline we had helped rebuild from the ashes of secrets and lies, and smiled.
"I was just thinking," I said, wrapping my arms tighter around her waist, "that I am the richest man in the world, and I didn't need a single ledger to prove it."
