CHAPTER 183: 183 ~ MIRA

When the photos came in, I wasn’t prepared.

I knew they would be good. I mean, the photographer was brilliant. But what I didn’t expect was how breathtaking they would turn out. Every shot looked like it belonged in a magazine spread, but more than that, it looked real. Every smile, every glance, every small touch between Jace and me carried a truth that no editing could create.

The photos told a story. Our story of love, victory and triumph.

The girl in white wasn’t the trembling version of me from four years ago, forced into a marriage she barely understood. She was radiant, soft, alive. And the man beside her , my husband, looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.

When I opened the file the photographer sent, I must’ve stared at it for a full minute before whispering, "Oh my God."

Jace walked in from his study just then, phone in hand, and stopped mid-step when he saw my face. "What’s wrong?"

I shook my head quickly. "Nothing. Just— come look."

He set his phone aside and leaned over the couch. The moment his eyes landed on the screen, his lips curved into that small, quiet smile that always made my stomach flutter.

"Well?" I asked, watching his reaction.

He scrolled through the pictures slowly, his gaze softening at every new frame. "You look beautiful," he said finally.

I laughed. "You already said that."

He leaned down, his breath brushing my ear. "Then let me say it again. Baby, you look beautiful."

I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks betrayed me with a blush.

He clicked on another photo. It was the one by the lake where he was holding me from behind, both of us smiling at nothing, the light glinting off the water. He stared at it for a long time before whispering, "That’s my favorite."

"Mine too," I said softly.

We spent almost an hour scrolling, zooming, laughing at our candid faces and little moments we didn’t even realize had been captured. There was one of me brushing grass off his jacket, another of him pretending to steal a kiss between poses, both of us laughing so hard that the photographer nearly dropped her camera.

It all felt... easy. Joyful. Like a time capsule of everything we’d fought to keep.

When we finally decided to post them, I hesitated. I hadn’t been active on social media in nearly two years. My account had gathered dust, filled only with old memories from my bakery days and a few months into our marriage when we tried that PR thing which obviously didn’t work out.

"You sure you want to?" Jace asked when he saw my hesitation. "You don’t owe anyone anything."

"I know," I said quietly. "But I want to. I think it’s time."

He smiled faintly. "Then do it."

So I did.

The caption was simple:

Four years later, we finally get to celebrate the love we built from the ashes. 💍✨

I attached five photos — the swing shot, the one by the lake, the laughing one in the field, a black-and-white close-up where Jace’s forehead rested against mine, and the one where we were holding hands barefoot at sunset.

For a while, I didn’t think much of it. I set my phone down, poured myself some tea, and tried to go about my evening.

But by the time I came back an hour later, the notifications had exploded.

Hundreds of comments. Thousands of likes. My feed was alive again.

People were gushing, sending heart emojis, leaving paragraphs about how "love always finds its way."

Some wrote things like:

You can feel their story through every frame.

From chaos to calm — this is what healing looks like.

Mrs. Romano, you’re glowing. Happiness looks good on you.

I scrolled through them all with my heart full and my eyes stinging. I hadn’t realized how much people had followed our story — how many had rooted for me without even knowing me.

The bakery page was also blowing up. They practically just unveiled me as the CEO. I was too happy to scold them about it. Customers and old staff members commented too.

Our girl made it!

From cupcakes to couture — we love to see it.

When Jace saw the sudden flood of messages, he smirked. "You broke the internet."

I swatted his arm playfully. "It’s your fault. You look too handsome in those photos."

He raised a brow. "So that’s what got us trending?"

"Yes," I teased. "Your face is clickbait."

He leaned closer, voice low. "Should I be jealous of my own wife thirsting over me online?"

I laughed, pushing him lightly. "Behave, Mr. Romano."

He chuckled, pulling me against his chest until I was tucked between his legs on the couch. His fingers traced lazy circles on my arm while we watched the comments pour in.

"You know," he said quietly, "I used to hate attention like this."

"And now?"

"Now I don’t mind, as long as you’re next to me."

I smiled, resting my head against his shoulder. "Careful, Jace. You’re getting soft."

He hummed. "Only for you."

We stayed like that for a long time, just watching the world react to what we’d already known. We knew that love didn’t have to be loud to be real.

Later that night, when I went upstairs to charge my phone, I opened my profile again. The likes had doubled. Journalists had already picked up the photos, calling it "The Romantics of Redemption."

For once, I didn’t feel anxious about people knowing our story. I wasn’t the broken girl anymore. I was someone’s peace and he was mine.

I glanced at one last photo before putting the phone away.

It was the candid one of us laughing together, my hand on his chest, his head tilted toward me.

That was the one that felt truest of all.

Because behind the filtered glow and perfect light, there was the one thing no camera could capture everything we’d survived to get here.

And as I climbed into bed that night, I smiled to myself.

We weren’t just trending.

We were finally whole.