The next two weeks practically skated past me. I was so busy working on the final blueprint drafts of Mr. Giam's project that I almost forgot about my last fitting appointment. Thankfully Sasha reminding me days before, the day of, and again at the end of the day.

My wedding was just eight days away! I was in the home stretch, and I still hadn't figured out a good plan to get out of the marriage, without contemplating all the things that could go wrong.

Sasha had come up with some good ideas though. My favorite one was calling the New York Times and giving them an exclusive scoop on how the Walton family was blackmailing me to marry Eric.

That one was still being considered, but I also questioned if they'd run it. Especially since I knew the Walton's had friends that worked there. They'd probably make sure it was buried and tell Mrs. Walton what I tried to do. Then my parents would lose their business and would most likely have to move out of the country entirely.

"It's no use, Sash," I said as we walked out of the bridal shop for the last time. This time, I was taking my perfectly fitted dress with me. "We just have to accept that no matter what, next Saturday, I'll become Mrs. Victoria Rae Walton."

She looped her arm in my free one and sighed. "Well, what does Ryan think of your plans to object? Does he have any suggestions?"

We walked down the busy streets towards the subway. The weather had been mild during the day, but now that it was night and the sun was gone, the chill in the air and the wind's force made me wish I hadn't worn a pencil skirt to work that day.

"He thinks most of them are way too complicated. He thinks I should just skip the wedding and run away with him until it all blows over."

"How romantic." Sasha fake swooned, resting the back of her hand on her forehead and tilting her head slightly. It made us both laugh as we descended the stairs to the subway. "Though that's not a terrible idea, either."

I nodded. "Trust me, I know. I seriously considered it. But if I ran away with him, then I'd be giving up my job too. And that is something I really don't want to do."

I lifted my bagged wedding dress up as we swiped our MetroCard and passed through the barriers. Even though I didn't want to marry Eric, I still loved the dress enough to not want anything to happen to it. Not to mention the amount I had to pay for it. I would have to wear it at least once a year for the next ten years until I felt that I wore it enough to consider it paid off.

"So," Sasha began as we stood on the platform waiting for our train. "Has Ryan even found a new job or anything?"

I shook my head. "No, he's been rethinking his interests and wants to make sure he does something he really loves."

Sasha's eyebrows raised. "Lucky! I wish I was rich enough to be indecisive about my job options."

"Me too."

"Well, you will be. When you get married to Eric."

I rolled my eyes as the train pulled into the station. "I guess that's the silver lining then for being trapped in a loveless marriage."

Sasha chuckled. "It could be worse. At least Eric isn't abusive, and you get to keep living in your apartment."

She had a point. I guess.

We boarded the train and headed back to my place for a girl's night in.

***********

The following Thursday was my last day of work before I would be off to begin the pre-wedding festivities. I spent the morning chained to my desk, with my office door closed, finishing up all the tasks that I knew I could. I made sure to forward everything else that had a deadline to Adam to help delegate who the duties were assigned to while I was out.

I hadn't spoken to Eric since the night at dinner with my parents. But he did send me an email, suggesting we should still go on our Honeymoon to Rome. While I always intended to take that week off from work, I was going to use that time to get some real rest and relaxation at home.

When I responded that I wasn't interested in going anywhere with him, he replied that he could change the reservations so we wouldn't have to see each other, except for the flight over. Seeing another part of the world for a week, after all this stress and drama, was sounding like a good idea. Plus, I really loved Rome and could use that time to study their architecture in person. I agreed I would still go as long as I didn't have to spend a single minute with him. He assured me he wasn't interested in spending time with me anymore, either.

I told Adam about my plans changing and that I would be out of the country instead. I originally planned to at least check my emails during my break, but knew it wouldn't be easy to do so abroad. He insisted everything would be fine and to enjoy my trip. He promised that he would keep me in the loop if there were any hiccups or issues that occurred while I was gone. Thankfully, the project wasn't scheduled to start until June, so if anything did go wrong, I would be back in time to fix it, without causing any real delays.

When I got back from lunch with Bruce, and Peter's new assistant Trinity that Thursday, my parents texted me that they had landed. They were going to stay at a hotel near the church that had rooms blocked for our wedding. I invited them to stay at my apartment again, to save them some money. But they preferred to be near my extended family, who were also booked there.

I was getting more excited knowing that I'd be seeing so many familiar faces soon. Some I hadn't seen since I was a young kid. I knew it would be hard to really sit with them and catch up with how packed all the events were, but I was determined to try.

As I sat in my office finishing up my afternoon tasks, I became slightly distracted by thinking about all the upcoming events. 

It was going to kick off on Friday morning, where Eric and I were hosting a welcome party breakfast for all our out-of-town guests. Then Friday evening was going to be our wedding rehearsal, followed by our rehearsal dinner all our guests were welcome to join. Then Saturday morning was going to be spent at the full-service salon near the church, where my bridesmaids and I would be getting our hair and makeup done. After that, we'd all be whisked off to the church, where we'd actually get into our gowns.

The sound of my phone brought my thoughts back to the present. I answered it, realizing how much I didn't do for the past hour. Seeing that it was Ryan, brought an instant smile to my face. "Hey you!"

"Hey. Are you busy?"

"Well, I am trying to work. Though, I'm not doing a very good job at it at the moment. Why what's up?"

"Do you think you could get away and meet me at the corner of Centre and Worth Street in lower Manhattan?"

The address sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite figure out why. "I think I can get away. I'll just confirm with Adam. What's there, anyway?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll explain everything when I see you." 

*******

I climbed out of the cab outside of New York County Supreme Court building. It was one of my favorite buildings in the city. I loved seeing the Roman-inspired pillars and stone building. I remembered touring it in college and recalled that the inside was just as beautiful as the outside. The murals in the ceilings were so artistically done that they almost resembled Michelangelo's work. With an American twist, of course.

As lovely as it was to be standing in front of the building, I was also perplexed about why I was meeting Ryan there. I spotted him standing at the opposite corner of Centre and Worth from where I was. He was dressed in a nice suit, which I hadn't seen him in since he worked at the firm. His hair was also gelled back again. He saw me approaching the crosswalk and beamed as our eyes met.

I smiled back, and as soon as I got within arms reach of him, I pulled him into a kiss. "I'm so happy to see you handsome!" I cheered. "I was so afraid I wouldn't see you until I got back from Rome. So what are we doing here?"

He stepped out of my embrace and his smile faded slightly. But he didn't seem upset in any way. He seemed more nervous than anything. "Before I tell you, I want to be clear that I have put a lot of thought into this. Not only that, but I've confirmed that it is legally possible to do what I want to do."

"Ryan Herman, what are you talking about?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

He guided me away from the busy corner to the wall of the building nearby. He looked around at the passing crowd before meeting my waiting gaze. He smiled as he reached into blazer inside pocket, and pulled out a vertically folded piece of paper. He handed it to me without any explanation.

I opened it and saw that it was a State of New York Certificate of Marriage form. Similar to one that Eric and I had filled out back in March. But this one had Ryan's information on one column, and the other had my name at the top of it. When I looked up to ask him if this was a joke, he was down on one knee.

He presented a white-gold ring, where the band elegantly hugged together two solitaire diamonds. It was the same one I had found in his wallet. "Ms. Victoria Rae Ashcroft. I knew there was something special about you when you woke me up as you barged into our trigonometry class, freshman year. 

"Ever since then, every encounter I've had with you has been better than the previous one. I have fallen in love with you completely and I couldn't imagine living the rest of my life without you in it. As my wife. Please accept this ring and say you'll marry me."