Hope is heavy.
And when the hope of so many people settles onto my shoulders with that one sentence, I feel like I might sink through the floor.
Dom holds my gaze, and the silence in the church is deafening.
There’s no need for a response. There’s no room in this world for applause.
Dominic just made his family a promise, and it all hinges on me.
The hope of all these people hinges on the fact that I willingly married this man and that our union will bring them The Alliance.
Another tear drips down my cheek.
He shouldn’t have done this to me.
Dom shouldn’t have put me in this situation.
I use his black handkerchief to soak up the next tear.
DG is embroidered in the corner, with thread the color of his eyes.
Dom is still staring at me. Watching me.
And since I can’t bring myself to hate him. Not completely.
I do the only thing I can in this moment.
The only acceptable action in a room filled with so much emotion.
I lean in.
