---- Chapter 26 Ethan's roar of pure, primal agony echoed down the hospital corridor. "SARAH!" | didn't look back. | walked towards my future. But he wasn't done. He scrambled into his clothes and ran from the hospital, a man possessed. He got into his car and chased my wedding limousine, his driving reckless, desperate. In the back of the limo, | calmly smoothed the skirt of my dress. Daniel took my hand, his eyes full of concern. "Are you sure about this?" "| have never been more sure of anything in my life," | said, and | leaned over and kissed him. It was a deep, passionate kiss, a declaration of my love, my choice. | poured all my hope, all my relief, all my joy into it. Through the rear window, | could see Ethan's face, contorted with a rage and jealousy so profound it was terrifying. Our kiss was a final, public rejection, a spectacle of his defeat. He followed us all the way to my grandmother's house. The garden was filled with flowers and our closest friends. It was a perfect, sunny day. As Daniel and | stood before the officiant, Ethan burst through ---- the gates. He was holding a small, metallic object in his hand. A detonator. "If | can't have you, no one can!" he screamed, his eyes wild. "I'll blow us all to hell!" The guests screamed and scattered. The beautiful, peaceful scene descended into chaos. But | was no longer afraid. | was done being his victim. | picked up the small, sharp knife we were about to use to cut the cake. | held it to my own throat. "You want to kill me, Ethan?" | said, my voice ringing out across the garden, clear and strong. "Then do it. But | will not be your prisoner again. | will die on my own terms." He froze, his eyes wide with terror. The thought of my death, by his hand or my own, was the one thing that could stop him "No," he whispered, his hand trembling. "Sarah, put the knife down. Please." "Then you have to promise me three things," | said, my voice like steel. "One: you will never try to contact me or Daniel again. Two: you will stay out of our lives, forever. Three: you will let me go." He looked at me, at my tear-streaked face, at the love in Daniel's eyes, and he finally, truly, understood. He had lost. "| promise," he choked out, the words torn from him. He ---- dropped the detonator. It clattered harmlessly on the stone path. He turned and walked away, a broken, defeated man. He didn't look back. The wedding continued. Daniel, his voice thick with emotion, slid a simple gold band onto my finger. "| know | can't give you the world," he said. "But | promise to be your safe harbor, for all the days of my life." "| may not be able to have children, Daniel," | confessed, the secret | had been holding onto. "The poison... it may have done permanent damage." He just smiled, his eyes full of love. "Then it will be just you and me. And that is more than enough. We'll see the best doctors. We'll figure it out. Together." From a distance, hidden behind a grove of trees, Ethan watched. He saw me laugh, a real, genuine laugh, something he hadn't heard in years. He saw the pure, unadulterated joy on my face as | kissed my new husband. He remembered our wedding, a lavish, soulless affair. He remembered the look in my eyes then, full of hope and love for him. He had taken that look and crushed it. He finally, truly, let me go. It was the hardest thing he had ever done. It was the only good thing he had ever done. He turned to his mother, who had been waiting for him. "Can ---- | stay here?" he asked, his voice a child's whisper. "Just for a few days. | just... | want to watch her be happy."