Chapter 22

The wedding proceeded without a hitch. Even Keith, seated among the guests, didn't make a scene. He watched as Julia walked down the aisle in a white gown, her floor-length veil casting a soft haze over her face. At that moment, she looked almost ethereal, like something out of a dream. He saw her walk right past him toward another man, and his heart felt like a hollow shell. The sensation left him adrift, completely unmoored, with nothing but aching emptiness where something solid used to be. "Mr. Calvin Stewart, do you take Ms. Julia Nolan to be your wife? Will you love her, honor her, and cherish her for the rest of your life?" "I do." "Ms. Julia Nolan, do you take Mr. Calvin Stewart to be your husband? Will you love him and stand by him through whatever life brings—the good times and the hard times, when you're young and when you're old, until death do you part?" "I do." When those words were spoken, Julia and Calvin looked into each other's eyes, both beaming with joy. W