Chapter 8 - Forever in Starlight
Six months later.
The private gardens of the Campone estate were blanketed in white roses and glowing lantern lights. A warm summer breeze blew off the bay, carrying the scent of jasmine and ocean salt.
There were no reporters. No fake socialites. No paparazzi.
Only fifty of the people who truly mattered—Dr. Sterling from the clinic, the staff from my coffee shop, Giovanni’s younger brother whom my father had hidden years ago, and the loyal security team that had guarded my life.
I stood under an archway of white orchids, wearing an ivory silk dress that flowed like water around my feet.
Giovanni stood before me, holding both of my hands in his. His dark eyes were soft, brimming with a deep, unyielding love that made my soul feel complete.
“Willow,” Giovanni said, his rich voice echoing softly through the quiet garden. “A year ago, I walked across a ballroom because I saw a woman who was too proud to break, even when the world was trying to crush her. I came to honor a debt to your father. I stayed because I fell completely, hopelessly in love with you.”
He slid a breathtaking band of platinum and pavé diamonds onto my ring finger—right beside the tiny, polished brass key charm that sat permanently re-crafted into a delicate gold bracelet.
“I promise to protect your peace,” Giovanni continued, his voice steady as a mountain. “I promise to honor your strength. And I promise that as long as I draw breath, you will never have to stand alone again.”
Tears of pure happiness spilled down my cheeks as I looked into his eyes.
“Giovanni,” I whispered, stepping closer to him, my hands resting over his pounding heart. “You gave me back my name. You gave me back my father’s memory. But most of all, you showed me what it feels like to be chosen—not out of obligation, but out of love. I am yours, forever and always.”
Giovanni pulled me into his arms and kissed me under the canopy of stars.
The crowd erupted into joyful applause, cheers echoing across the cliffside gardens and out over the vast, glittering sea.
I leaned my head against Giovanni’s shoulder, looking up at the night sky. I could almost feel my father smiling down on us from the stars above.
I was no longer the girl in the grey dress hiding in the shadows.
May you like
I was Willow Vance Campone.
And I was loved.
