Chapter 64: A Promise Under the Cherry Blossoms

New York University Library Garden.

It was autumn, but it looked like spring.

Hundreds of full-grown cherry blossom trees had been transplanted overnight, forming a canopy of soft pink petals that rained down gently with every breeze. The scent of vanilla and fresh flowers filled the air.

Guests sat on white wooden chairs. There were no cameras, no press. Just family, friends, old teachers, and the staff from Serenity's orphanage.

At the altar stood Jackson.

He wasn't wearing a military uniform or a tuxedo this time. He wore a simple white shirt and a casual grey vest—almost exactly what he wore the day they first met ten years ago in this very library.

But his eyes were older, wiser, and filled with tears he refused to let fall.

"Daddy, are you crying?" Mia tugged at his pants. She looked like a tiny angel in her white dress, holding a basket of petals.

"No, there is... dust in my eye," Jackson sniffed, straightening his posture.

"Likely story," Alex adjusted his bow tie. He was holding a high-tech metal briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. Inside were the wedding rings. "Don't worry, Dad. I secured the perimeter. No villains today. Just romance."

Then, the music started. Not an organ, but a cello playing "Can't Help Falling in Love."

Everyone stood up.

Serenity walked out from the library archway.

She didn't wear a crown. She wore a simple, bohemian lace dress with flowers woven into her loose hair. She held a bouquet of wild lilies.

She didn't look like the Grand Duchess of Montbert. She looked like the girl Jackson fell in love with. The girl who loved art and dreamed of love.

As she walked down the petal-strewn aisle, Jackson felt his heart stop.

She is real, he thought. After all the pain, the divorce, the lies, the wars... she is finally walking towards me.

Serenity reached the altar. Jackson took her hands. They were trembling.

"You imported a forest," Serenity whispered, looking around at the pink blossoms.

"I promised you a memory," Jackson wiped a petal from her cheek. "Do you like it?"

"I love it."

The officiant, the old Librarian who used to shush them when they were students, smiled. "We are gathered here today..."

They skipped the traditional speeches. They wrote their own vows.

"Serenity," Jackson began, his voice thick with emotion. "Ten years ago, I met you here. Five years ago, I lost you. I was a fool who didn't know the value of the treasure I held."

"I broke your heart. But you... you rebuilt mine. You gave me a family. You gave me a reason to fight demons and defy death."

He knelt down, just like he did in the jewelry store, but this time with pure reverence.

"I vow to spend the rest of my life making up for the five years we lost. I love you, Serenity. Forever."

Serenity choked back a sob. "Jackson... I ran away to protect my heart. But it turns out, my heart stayed with you all along."

"You are my first love. My only love. And today, I choose you again."

"Rings!" Alex popped open the metal briefcase with a click.

They exchanged simple platinum bands—enduring and unbreakable.

"By the power vested in me..." the Librarian beamed. "I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride!"

Jackson didn't wait. He pulled her close and captured her lips.

Wind blew through the garden. Thousands of pink cherry blossom petals swirled around them like a blizzard, creating a magical curtain.

Alex cheered. Mia threw her basket of petals into the air. Margaret wiped her tears in the front row. Sebastian stood at attention, saluting.

It wasn't a Royal Wedding. It was better. It was theirs.

"Let's go," Jackson whispered against her lips as the guests applauded.

"Where?"

Jackson picked her up bridal style, grinning like a teenager.

"The honeymoon starts now. And I am turning off my phone for a month."

Serenity laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her down the aisle, into the sun, and into their future.

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