Chapter 2: Unspoken Vows**
The silence between them stretched into an unbearable eternity. Rebecca halted three paces away, her manicured fingers tightly interlacing over her bouquet of white roses. She noticed the note pinched between his knuckles.
"You weren't supposed to open it until after the ceremony," Rebecca murmured, her voice barely audible above the rustling oak leaves.
"Who is Claire to you, Rebecca?" James demanded, keeping his tone measured for the sake of the lingering photographers. "Why does my dead wife’s name belong on a note delivered by my six-year-old daughter?"
"She isn't just your past, James. She’s the reason I’m here today," Rebecca said, her green eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I promised her I would protect Lily, even if it meant you would hate me for the rest of your life."
Before James could press further, the church doors creaked wide. The wedding coordinator appeared, flashing an anxious, rehearsed smile. "Mr. Vance, Miss Reed, the minister is ready. The guests are taking their seats."
May you like
James glanced down at his daughter, then back at the woman he was supposed to spend forever with. "This ceremony pauses," James said coldly. "We need fifteen minutes in the rectory. Alone."
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