Chapter 9 - The Wedding on the Cliffs
The wedding of Duncan Vance and Anwen Edwards was not the hollow, high-society spectacle Felice Lancaster had once planned.
There were no paparazzi, no political grandstanding, and no cold corporate alliances. The high cliffside terrace overlooking the ocean was transformed into a paradise of white wild roses, baby’s breath, and soft fairy lights that mirrored the stars beginning to prick through the twilight sky.
Only fifty guests were invited—close friends, trusted colleagues, and the estate staff who had quietly supported Anwen during her darkest days. Mrs. Higgins, the head housekeeper who had secretly left extra food and blankets in the outbuilding when Felice wasn't looking, sat in the front row, wiping away tears of joy with a lace handkerchief.
Silas Vance stood beside Duncan as best man. Duncan was dressed in a bespoke charcoal tuxedo, looking every inch the formidable maritime titan, but his eyes were fixed entirely on the end of the stone aisle.
The music swelled—an acoustic cello playing the soft, haunting melody of the Swiss folk song they had listened to in the mountains five years ago.
Then, Anwen appeared.
She took Duncan’s breath away. She wore a simple, breathtaking ivory gown of cascading silk and French lace, her veil floating around her shoulders like morning mist. Her chestnut hair was pinned up with delicate pearl pins, and her hazel eyes shone with a radiant, incandescent joy that wiped away every scar of the past five years.
Holding her hand, walking with serious, measured little steps in his miniature matching tuxedo, was Leo. The boy carried a velvet pillow with the wedding bands, his gray eyes shining with pride as he escorted his mother down the aisle.
When they reached the altar, Leo looked up at Duncan, a huge grin spreading across his face. "I brought her, Daddy."
Duncan’s heart swelled to bursting. He knelt down, ruffled his son’s hair, and whispered, "You did a perfect job, son."
Duncan stood up and took Anwen’s hands into his own.
The vows were not written by publicists. They were forged in the fires of survival, separation, and an undying love that had defied memory itself.
"I took an oath to protect you five years ago," Duncan said, his voice carrying over the gentle roar of the ocean below. "I lost you in the dark, but you held our family together with your courage, your sacrifice, and your love. You are the strongest person I have ever known. I vow to spend every day of the rest of my life honoring you, protecting you, and loving you with every breath in my body."
Anwen slipped the platinum band onto Duncan’s finger, her hand steady, her eyes locked with his.
"You dove into the dark water when no one else would," Anwen said, her voice rich with emotion. "You gave me back my life, you gave our son his father, and you gave my heart its home. I love you, Duncan. Through every storm, forever."
"By the power vested in me," the officiant declared, smiling broadly, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Duncan, you may kiss your bride."
Duncan pulled Anwen into his arms, dipping her slightly as his lips met hers in a kiss that was fierce, tender, and sealed with the promise of eternity. The terrace erupted into thunderous applause, cheers echoing across the cliffs.
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Leo ran forward, wrapping his little arms around both of their legs, causing Duncan and Anwen to laugh as they broke the kiss and scooped their son up between them, presenting their complete, unbroken family to the world.
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