Chapter 6 - A Real Wedding and A New Beginning
Six months later, the October rain had turned into a beautiful, bright April spring.
The drama that had plagued our lives was completely cleared. Victoria and her conspirators were serving life sentences in a federal prison for kidnapping and corporate fraud. Tyler and Vanessa had filed for bankruptcy after their family business collapsed due to Giovanni’s financial retaliation; they had fled Chicago entirely, leaving us in absolute peace.
But the biggest change was within the stone walls of the Fierro Estate.
The one-year contract was still sitting in Giovanni’s office desk, but neither of us had looked at it in months. The fake marriage had become the most real thing in our lives.
I stood in front of the mirror in the master bedroom, wearing a breathtaking white lace gown. This time, it wasn't for a gala or a fake story. It was for our real wedding.
A soft knock came at the door, and Lily ran in, wearing a miniature burgundy dress—the exact color of the thrift-store dress she had cried over a year ago, but made of the finest silk.
“Mommy! Daddy is waiting!” Lily cheered, hopping up and down. She loved calling him Daddy, and Giovanni beamed every time she did.
I walked down the grand staircase of the estate. The garden was filled with white roses, but this time, there was no family overflow section. Camila was my maid of honor, and even my mother was sitting in the front row, looking humbled and genuinely happy, finally realizing that her daughter didn't need her approval to find a king.
Giovanni stood at the altar. He wore a perfectly tailored black tuxedo, his dark hair neat, and his amber eyes glowing with pure devotion. The dangerous aura was still there, but it was reserved for the rest of the world. For me and Lily, he was our rock.
As I reached him, he took both of my hands in his. His palms were warm, familiar, and steady.
The priest smiled. “Giovanni, do you take Jessica to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and protect her, in danger and in peace?”
Giovanni looked directly into my eyes, ignoring the crowd, just like he had done at Table Twelve.
“I took her a year ago,” Giovanni said, his voice rich and deep. “And I will keep taking her, every single day, for the rest of my life. I do.”
“And Jessica, do you take Giovanni?”
“I do,” I whispered, tears of pure happiness blurring my vision.
When he slid the diamond ring onto my finger, he leaned down and whispered into my ear, “No more pretending, Jessica Hale. You are my wife.”
“I love you, Giovanni,” I murmured.
May you like
He pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss as the crowd erupted into cheers. Lily ran up, wrapping her arms around both of our legs. Giovanni picked her up, holding us both close against his chest.
The single mom who sat alone at the kitchen doors was gone. In her place stood a woman loved by Chicago’s most powerful man, surrounded by a real family, entering a future that was beautiful, safe, and entirely ours.
