BROKEN COURAGE (Broken Redemption Book 3)

Chapter 57

Lucas

My Dearest Lucas,

In just a few hours, I'll walk down the aisle to become your wife. It still feels surreal—after all these years, all the pain and distance, we're finally here. But before we take that step, I wanted to give you this small momento—a symbol of our journey, to remind you how far you've come and that if not for you, today wouldn't be possible.

If you haven't already, please open the gift now, then come back to this letter so you can continue reading.

This pocket watch represents the time we lost, the time you fought for, and the time we have now.

The compass rose engraved on the front represents your love—because no matter how far you wandered or how lost you felt, you always found your way back to me. Through every hardship, you kept your heart anchored to mine, and I will never forget that. I don't ever want you to forget it either.

Engraved on the back are the words "For the time you held on, for the time we have now," because you did hold on, Lucas. You held on to me, to us. Through every battle, every heartache, and even in your darkest moments, you never let go of us—and for that, I am forever grateful. Now, here we are, about to step into the future you fought for. This moment is ours, Lucas, because of everything you survived to come home to me. To us.

When you open the watch, on the inside cover, you'll find the coordinates to your parents' house. That home means so much to both of us. It was the fire and subsequent tragedy that first tore us apart, but it was also the place where we found each other again. It's where we decided to stop running from our ghosts and build something new, something beautiful. That home represents the past we've endured and the future we've chosen to create together. It's a reminder that, even from the ashes, beautiful things can still grow.

And then there's the inscription around the clock face: "Forever in time, forever in love." Because that's exactly what we are—forever. Our love survived distance, time, and the worst life could throw at us, and now, we get to live in that love for the rest of our lives.

One last thing... hidden beneath the clock face, there's a small photo of us with the girls. It's from our engagement shoot—one of my favorite memories of all of us together. I wanted you to have it close to you, because wherever you go, you carry us with you—me, Alyssa, Mallory, and Sailor. We are your family now. And we will always be your home.

Lucas, you are my hero. You fought battles I can't even imagine, but you came back. You came back to me. And now, we get to write the rest of our story together—side by side, just as it was always meant to be.

With all my love, forever and always,

Emilia

________

Through blurry eyes, I read her letter again, my fingers tracing over the pocket watch that holds so much meaning. Words can't even begin to express what this gift and her words meant to me. I spent so much of my life feeling inadequate, unworthy... but with her? She makes me feel like a king. Like I'm strong. Capable. Deserving of the future that's laid out before us. I've said it a thousand times, and I'll keep saying it over and over again: Embree is my salvation. My cure. The balm to my broken heart, my battered soul. She's my calm after the storm... the peace I spent a lifetime searching for.

"Luc? It's me." Pastor David's muffled voice comes from the other side of the door, where my groomsmen and friends are out there drinking up a storm—in James's words, pregaming—before the wedding that's scheduled to start in thirty minutes.

That's all the time that remains of my old life. Thirty minutes. In one thousand eight hundred more seconds, my new life will officially begin. The life that, as she put it, was always meant to be.