Chapter 10 - The Last Dance
Maddie looked down at the beautiful slice of vanilla cake.
It was elegantly decorated with a single, flawless white sugar rose.
Elias placed it gently on the table directly in front of her.
He pulled out the empty groom's chair and finally sat down properly beside her.
Maddie picked up two silver forks and happily handed one to him.
They ate the sweet cake together in the wonderfully quiet ballroom.
It was undoubtedly the absolute best thing she had ever tasted in her life.
When the porcelain plate was completely empty, Elias stood up gracefully.
He unbuttoned his cuffs and slowly took off his black server's apron.
He draped the dark apron casually over the back of the empty chair.
Then he turned to face Maddie and respectfully held out his hand.
"May I please have this one dance?"
Maddie smiled incredibly brightly and placed her hand securely in his.
There was absolutely no music playing in the empty, moonlit venue.
They simply did not need any music at all.
Elias pulled her perfectly close and guided her smoothly across the polished wooden floor.
Maddie rested her tired head safely against his strong chest.
She could hear his heartbeat, which was wonderfully steady and strong.
The terrible, painful memories of the day melted away permanently into the shadows.
She had lost a terrible liar, but she had finally found her true self.
And she had found a man who actually stayed by her side when things got hard.
They swayed happily under the moonlight until the warm sun began to rise over the Kentucky hills.
It was the completely perfect ending to a wildly imperfect night.
Everything felt entirely safe, resolved, and beautifully hopeful.
A week later, Maddie was cheerfully cleaning out her old apartment.
She unexpectedly found a strange, sealed black envelope stuffed deeply inside her wedding dress bag.
May you like
She opened it and found a crisp photograph of Elias kissing a woman with bright red hair.
The handwritten note attached to it simply read, "He planned the whole thing."
