Chapter 10 - Dawn of Forever
Six months later, the oak-paneled chapel at Blackwood Estate was filled with laughter, music, and the soft glow of a hundred flickering candles.
There were no tabloid journalists, no syndicate bosses, and no police sirens. Just a small, intimate gathering of trusted friends: Mrs. Quinn smiling tearfully in the front row, Marcus acting as a proud best man, and little Leo—now walking on chubby legs—tuxedo-clad and babbling happily as he clutched a silk pillow adorned with their wedding bands.
Anna stood before the altar, wearing a breathtaking gown of delicate white lace and silk that seemed to catch every ray of light filtering through the stained-glass windows. As Elias looked at her walking down the aisle, his heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of completeness.
The man whom Boston’s underworld had feared as an untouchable monster stood before the woman who had brought him back to life, ready to trade his empire of shadows for a future built on truth, loyalty, and unconditional love.
“Do you, Elias Mercer, take Anastasia Vance to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the officiant asked clearly.
Elias looked straight into Anna’s radiant dark eyes, his voice ringing through the chapel with absolute conviction.
“I do.”
“And do you, Anastasia Vance, take Elias Mercer to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Anna smiled, a brilliant, radiant expression that mirrored the rising sun outside. “I do.”
“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
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As Elias pulled Anna into his arms, sealing their vows with a tender, passionate kiss, the applause of their small family echoed off the stone walls.
Outside, the Atlantic waves crashed rhythmically against the cliffs of Blackwood Estate, no longer sounding like a threatening storm, but like a steady, timeless heartbeat. The locked doors of the past were gone forever, replaced by an open horizon, a safe home, and a love that had changed everything before the sun even dared to rise.
