CHAPTER 360: A LIFETIME WITH MY TRUE LOVE

Georgia’s POV

The woman staring back at me from the mirror didn’t look like the same one who suffered from everything.

Her reflection shimmered under the soft glow of the vanity lights — hair perfectly curled, swept to one side, and adorned with delicate crystal pins that caught the light like tiny stars. My makeup artist had done a wonderful job, accentuating my eyes, brushing warmth onto my cheeks, and painting my lips in a rosy hue that made me look like I was glowing from the inside.

I blinked once. Then twice.

I smiled.

God, I actually looked like a bride.

The kind of bride who survived storms and still learned how to love.

My gaze drifted to the open balcony doors. The soft ocean breeze entered the room, carrying with it the scent of salt, jasmine, and sunset. The sky outside was slowly melting from gold into rose, and the waves reflected every shade of it.

I could hear faint laughter from somewhere near the beach — the music playing, the soft static sound from the mic testing, the muted hum of the live band tuning their instruments.

And for a moment, everything was still.

No fear. No confusion. No heaviness.

Just peace.

I chuckled softly to myself as I remembered last night.

No tears today.

I had already cried every drop of them last night.

After the resort staff played Nick’s video, everything inside me broke open — but not in a painful way. It was as if every locked door inside my mind burst open all at once, flooding me with the memories I thought I’d never get back.

The first time I met Nick.

The arguments we had.

The way he held me when I was falling apart.

The way he looked at me like I was both the storm and the calm after it.

And then Vicky, in her usual dramatic flair, decided to play another video — one of them performing the song Nick had written for me. Claim Me.

I laughed, remembering that moment — the chaos of it. Vicky pretending to be me, Ella trying not to cry and laugh while pretending to be Nick, Melanie and Bella holding pretend microphones made from hairbrushes, Jenny on the makeshift drums using champagne bottles and spoons.

It was ridiculous and sweet all at once.

But when the chorus came —

"Fated, marked by the universe

Feelings deeper than the oceans

Pull stronger than gravity

Emotions sweeter than the waters

Fated, sung by distant winds

Born beneath different moons

Cradled under distant skies

Emotions sweeter than the waters

Claim me, Claim me

Emotions sweeter than the waters

To the fire we’ve always burned

Emotions sweeter than the waters

To the fire we’ve always burned"

— It hit me like a wave. No! It was a freaking tsunami!

Every scene, every photo, every laugh in that video — from the day Nancy pushed me, to the times Nick looked after me when I was vulnerable, all the way until the night before I was kidnapped — all of it was there.

He had pieced together my story.

Our story.

I tried my best to finish watching without crying, but when the video ended, I just couldn’t speak. My chest was tight. My heart full.

So, I smiled through the cheers and laughter and said, "I think I’ll rest now."

The girls believed me. They ordered another round of champagne and continued celebrating.

But me?

I slipped into my room, turned off the lights, and curled into my bed.

And that’s when the tears came.

Silent, uncontrollable, endless.

Not because I was sad. But because I finally remembered everything.

The pain, the love, the loss, and the way Nick had never stopped fighting for me — not once.

That’s why I didn’t reply to his message last night.

Because this time, I wanted to surprise him, and if I reply back, I might not be able to stop myself from calling him and telling him the good news.

I wanted to stand in front of him, look into his eyes, and let him see that I remembered — every word, every touch, every promise.

And now, here I was.

Sitting in front of this mirror, waiting for the right time to walk toward him.

I reached for my phone and stared at the picture of the small compass I had given him as a gift for our wedding — the one engraved with "May you always find your way back to me."

I ran my thumb over the screen, smiling softly.

"I found my way back, Captain. It’s all thanks to you, my love," I whispered to the air.

A gentle knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

It was Wendy.

She peeked in first, her warm smile as radiant as ever. "Wow, you are such a beautiful bride, my dear. Everyone’s getting ready outside. It’s almost time."

She walked toward me and placed her hands on my shoulders, her reflection appearing behind mine in the mirror. Her eyes softened, the way only Wendy’s could.

"You look absolutely divine, sweetheart."

"Thank you," I whispered, trying not to tear up again.

She reached for my veil, adjusting it carefully before letting it cascade down my back like a trail of light. Her movements were gentle, like how my mom used to be. "There," she said, her voice tender. "Now you’re ready to make him forget how to breathe."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You sound just like Vicky."

"Well," she chuckled, "maybe she rubbed off on me a little."

But then I remembered something — something important. "Wendy, where’s Prudence?" I asked softly. "She was supposed to walk with us."

Wendy paused for a moment, her hands still lingering near the veil. "Ah... I was going to tell you about that."

I turned to face her fully, my heart fluttering with curiosity.

She smiled — the kind of smile that carried both sadness and joy. "Violet finalized her divorce from Benjamin yesterday," Wendy began. "And she told Nick that she wants to give Prudence back her place — as his real mother."

I blinked, stunned for a moment. "Wait, what?"

Wendy nodded gently. "Prudence told me to tell you that she’ll be waiting beside her son at the end of the aisle with open arms, ready to welcome you as her daughter-in-law. Officially."

Something warm bloomed inside my chest.

For so long, everything had been so complicated — so full of broken ties and hidden truths.

But this... this was peace.

I felt tears prickling my eyes again, but I blinked them back. No. Not this time. No more crying. Not on my wedding day.

Instead, I smiled at Wendy — my constant companion, my second mother, the woman who stood by me through every storm.

"Then it’s settled," I said, standing from the chair and smoothing my dress

I turned to Wendy and extended my hand toward her.

"Walk me down the aisle, Wendy," I said softly. "Make my family in heaven proud and grateful... to you..." — my voice trembled, but I didn’t look away — "that you stayed by my side despite all the problems that came into my life after they were gone."

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

I smiled through the lump in my throat, my hand still reaching out to her.

Outside, the music began — I took a deep breath, ready to step into forever. A lifetime with my true love, Captain Nicholas Knight.