Chapter 19 - No More Perfect Pictures
The note with the veil answered one question: Gideon had helped prepare the disguise. Even if Silas exceeded the plan, the danger began with a father willing to use his son's wedding as leverage.
Adrian handed the veil to Ortiz and gave his statement without trying to protect the family name. When she asked why he'd missed the warning signs, he told the truth.
"Because it was easier to believe my dad than question him."
Tessa was waiting outside beneath the church steps. She wore jeans, sneakers, and a borrowed sweater instead of a wedding gown. Adrian had never seen her look more like herself.
"I thought you'd leave town," he said.
"I almost did. Then I remembered something my mom used to say: you don't let the people who hurt you decide where you belong."
"Do you still want to marry me?"
She took a breath. "I want to know we're choosing each other, not trying to prove that your father didn't win."
"Fair."
"And I don't want to stand beneath a wall of roses ever again."
"Also fair."
They laughed, awkwardly at first. The laugh surprised them both.
At Helen's house, Willa had started drawing pictures of safe places with open doors. A child counselor had helped her talk about the frightening wedding without making her relive it for every curious adult. She no longer wanted to be a flower girl. She said she might want to be a veterinarian instead.
Alisa began meeting the Rowan House residents in person. She didn't ask for forgiveness; she listened while they told her what losing their homes would have meant. Then she committed the assets she could lawfully control toward repairing the building and funding independent oversight of the trust.
One evening, Adrian came home to find a cardboard box on his doorstep. Inside lay a photograph of his parents on their wedding day, the edges burned brown.
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On the back Gideon had written a message years ago: KEEP THE FAMILY BEAUTIFUL AT ANY COST.
Adrian turned the picture over and reached for a pen.
