"I'm not marrying a woman with a shameful past," he continued. "I'm marrying the strongest and kindest person I've ever known."
Several guests began to cry.
Then the doors of the chapel opened.
They all turned around.
Adrian was at the back of the room.
She looked older than I remembered. Her face was pale, and the confidence she had once displayed was gone.
For a moment, I was fifteen again.
I could almost hear the whispers of the village. I could feel the cold ground beneath my feet and see Margaret in the doorway, telling me that her son had left.
Adrian slowly advanced towards us.
"My mother died two weeks ago," he said.
Nobody moved.
—Before he died, he told me everything.
Her voice broke.
"He admitted that he knew Clara had suffered as a child. He knew Clara hadn't deceived me. But he convinced me that marrying her would humiliate our family."
Adrian looked directly at me.
—I was young, proud, and cruel. But none of that justifies what I did.
He stopped several steps away.
—I never asked you what had happened. I never defended you. I abandoned you and allowed everyone to destroy your name.
My father finally raised his head.
Adrian's eyes filled with tears.
—Clara, please forgive me.
