Love In The Shadows | Fred Weasley x OC

Chapter 98

Chapter 98: The Wedding Pt. 2

The grand hall was silent, the only sound the soft rustling of silk and the faint hum of the organ playing. Adhara stood at the front, every step heavier than the last, her heart pounding in her chest. Her vision blurred as she made her way down the aisle, her fingers tightly clutching the bouquet of white roses in her hands. The guests watched, their eyes filled with expectation, their murmurs blending with the soft hum of the music. This was a day she had been preparing for for so long, but it was a day she could hardly bear.

Her steps felt as though they were dragging her deeper into a life she no longer recognized. The vows she was about to take—the promises she was supposed to make—were not hers to give. They had never been.

Max Laurent stood at the altar, his back straight, his face expressionless. He looked every part the perfect match for the Malfoy heiress—handsome, poised, wealthy. Everything her family wanted for her. Everything they had carefully planned and orchestrated. But in his eyes, Adhara saw only a reflection of her own emptiness. This was a marriage of convenience, not of love.

But her family had made sure that this was her only option, and she had learned long ago to silence her own desires.

As she reached the altar, the priest began speaking, his words a distant drone in her ears. She could barely hear him over the sound of her own thoughts, the war waging inside her. The life she was about to step into was not one of freedom or choice; it was a life of obligation and duty. And yet, she couldn't escape the voice inside her head, telling her that this was what she deserved.

"Do you, Adhara Malfoy, take Max Laurent to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked, his voice cutting through the silence.

Adhara's heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth, but no words came. She couldn't do this. Not like this. But her gaze flickered to Max, and the truth of the moment struck her like a punch to the gut. She had made a promise to her family. She had already given them her life in exchange for their approval.

And then, just as she was about to say the words, there was a loud bang. The doors to the hall crashed open, startling everyone in the room.

Adhara's breath caught in her throat. She recognized the footsteps immediately.

Fred Weasley stood in the doorway, his wild hair disheveled, his eyes wide with emotion. His chest was heaving, and there was an intensity in his gaze that made her heart race.

"Adhara!" he called, his voice cutting through the silence. "You don't have to do this! You don't have to marry him!"

The guests turned in confusion, some whispering, others staring in disbelief. Lucius' face darkened, but Fred didn't look at him. He only had eyes for Adhara.

Adhara felt her breath hitch in her chest as Fred's gaze locked onto hers. Everything else in the room fell away, leaving only him and her in that moment.

"You don't have to marry him, Adhara," Fred repeated, his voice softer this time. "I love you. This—this isn't you. You don't have to go through with this. You can choose something else. Choose us."

The words hit her like a wave. The emotion in his voice, the sincerity that radiated from him, made her heart ache. She had spent so long convincing herself that she had made the right decision, that this was the only way to keep the peace, to fulfill her family's expectations. But standing here, with Fred's words echoing in her mind, everything felt wrong.

Lucius' voice broke through her reverie. "Weasley, this is absurd," he sneered, stepping forward. "You have no place here. The Malfoy family doesn't have time for your childish games."

But Fred wasn't looking at him. His eyes remained fixed on Adhara, his expression pained, desperate.

"Adhara, please," Fred said again, his voice cracking slightly. "You don't have to be trapped in this life. You never did. I'm here now. I always have been. You don't need to marry him. You can choose me. You can choose love. You can choose freedom."

Adhara's throat tightened as her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to scream, to run away, but her body felt frozen in place. Her hands gripped the bouquet so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She couldn't breathe.

For so long, she had convinced herself that what she was doing was the only option. She had tried to bury her love for Fred deep inside her, convinced that he deserved someone better, someone who could give him the life he needed. But now, hearing him speak, she realized that she had been lying to herself all along.

"I can't, Fred," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I can't hurt my family again. I can't keep doing this to them. I've already made my choice."

Fred's face fell, and for a brief moment, the hope in his eyes flickered. "Adhara..." he began, but she interrupted him.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "I'm so sorry, but I can't. I've already made this decision. I have to go through with it."

Fred's eyes never left Adhara's face. "But I never gave up on you. You're making a mistake," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Adhara's heart ached as she looked at him. The love she had once known, the love she thought was gone, surged within her chest. She wanted to run to him, to hold him and tell him everything would be okay, but the weight of her family's expectations, the pressure to do what was right, held her back.

But then, in that moment, Fred did something unexpected. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "Adhara," he said softly, "I don't care what your family thinks. I care about you. Only you. If you still want me, I'm here. I'll always be here."

The tears that had been welling in her eyes spilled over, and she took a shaky breath. The words she had held back for so long finally escaped her lips.

"I love you," she whispered. "I've always loved you. But I don't know if I deserve you."

Fred's face softened, his hand reaching for hers. "You don't have to be perfect to be loved, Adhara. You're more than enough for me."

And in that moment, the truth of it all hit her. She couldn't keep living a life that wasn't hers. She couldn't let fear dictate her future.

Before she could think any longer, she ran. She ran out of the hall, out of the life she had been trapped in for so long. She ran straight into Fred's arms, and for the first time in years, she felt like she could breathe again.

Together, they left the past behind. Together, they chose to write their own future.