Chapter 5 - Sunrise Over Alder House
The sun was just beginning to peek over the glittering Manhattan skyline, painting the harbor in brilliant strokes of gold and rose.
The private dining room of Alder House had been restored to pristine perfection. The sixty-two guests had returned the following morning, unaware of the violent storm that had raged along the piers just hours earlier, knowing only that the delayed celebration of love was finally taking place.
At the head table, the diamond ring rested inside its velvet box once more.
Nora sat beside Damian, wearing her dark green dress, her hand resting comfortably in his. There were no notes under glasses, no ghosts from the past, and no shadows lingering at the edges of the room.
Damian stood up, raising his crystal glass of champagne. The room immediately quieted, sixty-two pairs of eyes turning toward him.
He looked down at Nora, a rare, completely genuine smile softening the hard edges of his face.
“Some people spend their lives waiting for the right moment,” Damian said, his voice carrying clearly across the silent room. “Some wait for peace, or safety, or perfection. But true love isn’t found in a quiet room where nothing can touch you. It’s found when the world tries to tear you apart, and the person beside you refuses to let go.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out the small velvet box, and dropped gracefully to one knee before her.
“Nora Whitaker,” Damian said softly, the entire room holding its collective breath. “Will you marry me, and let me spend the rest of my life proving that you are finally, safely home?”
Tears shimmered in Nora’s gray eyes as she smiled—a bright, radiant smile free of every ghost that had ever haunted her.
May you like
She held out her left hand. “Yes, Damian. It’s about damn time.”
The room erupted into thunderous applause, champagne glasses clinking together as the sun rose fully over the harbor, illuminating a future that nothing in this world could ever touch again.
