Chapter 10 - The Unbreakable VowSix months later, the private cliffside estate in Amalfi, Italy, was bathed in the warm, golden glow of a Mediterranean sunset. There were no armed guards hiding in the shadows, no syndicate bosses lurking behind pillars, and no frantic theater costumers running from rainstorms.
There was only peace, the sound of crashing waves against the stone cliffs, and a small, intimate gathering of people who had survived the fire and come out the other side.
Noah Higgins stood on the stone terrace, holding a glass of vintage Italian wine, laughing as he watched his sister walk down the garden path.
Clara wore a wedding dress of pure, flowing white silk—custom-tailored, perfectly fitted, and completely devoid of emergency sewing needles. Her dark curls were crowned with a simple strand of white jasmine, and her eyes shone with an unshakeable, radiant joy.
Waiting for her at the altar of white roses stood Roman Vale. He wore a crisp linen suit, unbuttoned at the collar, looking more relaxed and genuinely alive than he had in a decade. As Clara stepped up to him, he didn't wait for the officiant to prompt him. He reached out, taking her hands in his, his thumbs gently tracing the emerald ring resting on her finger.
“You know,” Roman murmured, a rare, genuine smile curving his lips, “when I offered you two million dollars for one night, I thought I was buying a prop to fool a dead man’s ghost.”
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“And instead,” Clara whispered back, her eyes sparkling with mischief and profound love, “you got a wife who’s going to audit your corporate accounts, redesign your wardrobe, and make sure you never take yourself too seriously again.”
“A fair trade,” Roman laughed softly, pulling her close as the crowd erupted into applause and the Mediterranean sun dipped below the horizon, sealing a two-million-dollar lie into a forever truth.
