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I bite my lip as the silence hovers over us until breaking point.

Then I lower to my knees and after putting the flowers on the ground, I reach for William’s cheek and smile as I whisper two words. “I do.”

Cheers explode from the house as William drapes me over his arm and kisses me, in broad daylight. Right in front of all the neighbors.

People gather on the street, and there’s a round of applause.

But I don’t care.

I wrap my arms around William’s neck, and he picks me up.

“I never signed the papers,” he says in my ear.

I can’t stop beaming.

“Would you like to see your new home, Mrs. Willoughby?”

I kick my legs with a laugh. “Our new home,” I say, correcting him. “And yes, please. Take me away!”

As William bundles me in the dark car, I can’t help but think about Sasha.

I owe her a million favors now. Because thanks to her crazy idea, I’m driving into the sunset with Mr. Darcy into a horizon full of newfound possibilities.

My mom’s advice echoes in my mind as we sit hand in hand, and William cruises.

Love is messy. Love is complicated. Marriage is hard and sometimes it can be ugly. But one thing is certain: nothing is as beautiful as the promise you make when you sayI do.

THE END