Healed by True Affection

The church was a vision of white roses and silver ribbons—exactly as I'd dreamed since I was a little girl. Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, casting kaleidoscope patterns across the aisle I'd walked down ten times before. Eleven was supposed to be our lucky number. This time, Talon and I would finally be husband and wife.

"Isabel Howell, do you take Talon Dixon to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The pastor's voice echoed through the cathedral.

I gazed up at Talon—tall, impossibly handsome in his tailored tuxedo, his dark eyes holding mine with what I believed was love. Five years of my life I'd given him. Five years of postponed weddings, of explanations to embarrassed guests, of tears dried in private.

"I do," I whispered, my voice stronger than I felt. My hands trembled slightly in his grasp.

The pastor nodded and turned to Talon. "And do you, Talon Dixon, take Isabel Howell to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to—"

The cathedral doors slammed open with a bang that made my heart stop. I didn't need to turn around. I knew exactly who it was. The same person who had interrupted our wedding ten times before.

"NO!" The scream echoed off the vaulted ceiling. "DADDY, YOU CAN'T!"

Harmony Castro, Talon's adopted daughter, staggered down the aisle in a white dress that rivaled my own. Her mascara streaked artfully down her porcelain cheeks, her dark hair wild around her shoulders.

"You promised," she sobbed, her voice carrying to every corner of the silent church. "You promised you'd only marry me!"

The collective gasp from our guests was like a gust of wind. I stood frozen, watching as Harmony collapsed dramatically at the altar steps, her body convulsing with what appeared to be uncontrollable sobs.

I waited for Talon to dismiss her, to call security, to do anything that would prove his commitment to me. Instead, his hand slipped from mine as he knelt beside her.

"Harmony, sweetheart," he murmured, gathering her into his arms. "You know I care about you. You're my daughter."

"Not your daughter," she wailed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Never just your daughter!"

The pastor shifted uncomfortably. My maid of honor squeezed my elbow in silent support. I remained still, a statue in white lace, watching the scene unfold as it had ten times before.

"I need to take her home," Talon said finally, looking up at me with an expression I'd convinced myself was regret. "She's not well. You understand, don't you, Isabel?"

I always understood. I always forgave. I was always the one left standing alone at the altar while he carried Harmony away.

"Let me help," I said mechanically, following them to a small vestry room off the main chapel.

Harmony continued to sob in Talon's arms as he whispered soothing words into her hair. I watched, numb, as he rocked her like a child. When had I last received such tenderness from him?

"The ring," Harmony hiccupped suddenly. "I want to see the ring he was going to give you."

Before I could protest, Talon was sliding the custom platinum band from his pocket—the ring that should have been on my finger by now. Harmony reached for it with trembling fingers.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered, slipping it onto her ring finger.

A perfect fit.

Time stopped. The custom ring—sized specifically for my finger—slid onto Harmony's hand without resistance. The ring Talon had claimed was designed exclusively for me.

"How..." My voice sounded distant, even to my own ears. "How does it fit you?"

Harmony's sobbing ceased instantly. For a brief moment, her eyes met mine, and what I saw there wasn't grief or instability—it was triumph.

"Talon," I said quietly. "Why does my wedding ring fit Harmony perfectly?"

He wouldn't meet my eyes. "It must be a coincidence."

I waited until Talon left to get Harmony a glass of water before confronting her. The moment the door closed behind him, her tears vanished as if they'd never existed.

"Five years," I said, my voice shaking. "Five years I've watched you sabotage every attempt at happiness. Tell me the truth. What is this ring really about?"

Harmony's lips curved into a cold smile. "Poor, stupid Isabel. Still haven't figured it out? He's never going to marry you. He's never loved you. You were just the respectable cover story."

We stood on the vestry's upper level, a decorative balcony overlooking the small room below. I took a step toward her, anger finally breaking through my shock.

"You're lying. Talon loves me. He—"

"He loves me," Harmony hissed, her mask of innocence completely gone. "He's always loved me. Why do you think he keeps choosing me? Why do you think this ring—" she wiggled her fingers, my wedding band glinting in the light "—fits me perfectly?"

I reached for the ring, but she stepped back, her expression darkening. With a sudden movement, she planted both hands on my chest and shoved.

The world tilted. I felt nothing but air beneath me as I plummeted backward off the balcony. My scream cut short as I crashed through the decorative scaffolding below, pain exploding through my body as bones snapped on impact.

Through the haze of agony, I heard Harmony's voice, high and panicked once more:

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! ISABEL ATTACKED ME! SHE'S CRAZY!"

As darkness closed in, I saw Talon's face appear above me, not with concern for me, but with eyes only for Harmony.