The ceremony was held at sunset.
The sun spilled gold across the rows of white chairs.
Soft music echoed through the air — a string quartet playing something delicate, something old, something that made my chest ache with memory.
I stood just behind the double doors, the cathedral veil already resting on my shoulders.
The long train of my gown trailed like clouds behind me.
And for a moment, it was quiet.
Not the suffocating kind.
But the kind that told you something sacred was about to begin.
-
The church doors opened.
I didn't hear the gasps.
I didn't hear the music shifting to something grand.
All i saw was him.
Lorenzo.
Standing at the end of the aisle in a white barong, hair brushed back, jaw tight.
But his eyes, they were glassy, wide, and locked on me like he was watching the rest of his life walk toward him.
I wanted to run to him.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to laugh because what were the odds that after everything, we still ended up here?
I took slow steps, one after the other.
My dad held my arm as he walked me down the aisle.
But i didn't look around.
I didn't glance at the flowers or the people or the camera flashes.
I only looked at him.
Because if i looked anywhere else, I might crumble.
When we finally reached the end, my father placed my hand in Lorenzo's, whispering something only the two of us could hear.
"Take care of her... she's made of all the pieces we broke."
Lorenzo nodded, voice low and steady. "I will. Always."
Then it was just us.
Standing before the altar.
Facing the man i thought i had lost forever.
Looking at the woman i never thought i'd become.
The priest welcomed everyone, but his voice faded into the background.
Because in my head, it was quiet again.
The kind of quiet that comes right before you choose everything.
And then… it was time.
-
Lorenzo went first.
He took my hands, looked at me like i was sunlight, and began speaking.
"Years ago, I loved you in silence. I loved you in patience. I loved you while you were running."
He paused, swallowing hard.
"But i never stopped."
A shaky breath.
"You left, and I waited. You broke me, and I waited. You came back… and I knew, without a doubt, that there was never going to be anyone else."
Tears welled in my eyes.
"You are the beginning of every plan i never made but always wanted. You are the mother of my child, the keeper of my heart, and the woman i will choose in every lifetime."
He looked down, blinking back tears.
"I don't care if we've hurt each other. I don't care if the world doubts us. I'll spend the rest of my life showing you that love isn't perfect — it's just real."
He squeezed my hands. "And mine is yours. Always has been."
My throat tightened.
I could barely breathe, but i knew i had to speak.
Even if my voice trembled.
Even if my hands shook.
I held onto him and started.
"I was young when i met you. Young and scared and messy."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
"And maybe i loved you too soon. Maybe i let the world tell me i didn't deserve you. Maybe i believed it."
I paused, trying to find air.
"But the truth is... I loved you in every way i knew how. I loved you when i left, even when it didn't make sense. I loved you when i gave birth alone. I loved you through every night i held our daughter and wished i had done it all differently."
His lips parted.
His eyes were wet.
"But i'm here now," I whispered. "And this time, I'm not leaving."
I let the words settle.
"You've waited long enough, Lorenzo Juaquin Buenaventura. So this is my vow — I'm not just marrying you today. I'm choosing you. With my whole heart. Every day."
The priest was crying.
I heard sniffling from the guests.
But it was only us.
Only this.
Only forever.
And then…
"You may now kiss the bride."
He didn't waste a second.
Lorenzo pulled me in — gently, reverently — and kissed me like he'd waited his whole life.
Like every ache in his body finally disappeared.
Like i was the answer to a prayer he forgot he was still praying.
And just like that…
I became his wife.