She had made several attempts in her life to make it down the aisle. Many diamonds had decorated her left ring finger over the years. All types of rings had graced her finger, those from her first love, those for the climb for power or social status, and others for convenience. And even when a ring didn't make it on her finger, there had been many proposals over the years from many suitors some in high power positions and others from skilled lovers but she never took the bait. None were apparently worthy to call her their wife.
She had purchased several wedding dresses in her lifetime but they never turned her into a wife. It didn't matter if they were couture custom creations by Vera Wang herself, or the slip dress from her first attempt to elope with her first love, no dress brought her the luck to see the whole process through. The plans had always been there and even the legal paperwork was always filled out but the ceremony never completed. It was fate's way of never letting the ink dry on the proverbial paper.
But today, she knew deep down in her core she was going to become a wife. The love she felt for this man stood the test of every obstacle, every struggle, every fight and even time itself. Fate had painfully put their relationship through the ringer over the years and she waited to become a first time wife, not a lover, girlfriend, or fiancé, but a wife. There was that one person in her case that was meant to become her husband, and today was that day.
Wilhelmina decided on a small quiet ceremony in a smaller church in the city with private invites sent to only the most important people in their lives. Connor was now a free man. He had put in a few years at the state penitentiary and now with the powers that be, mainly because of her father, Connor's case was dismissed due to a loophole of information that magically made its way on the desk of his lawyers, just in time for his appeal. The evidence that was submitted by the District Attorney was in fact inadmissible in the first trial and the judge had no choice but to set him free in the appeals process.
She was finally free to be with the man she loved and have her chance at the traditional wedding and happily ever after. Wilhelmina was never big on tradition, but somehow she felt like her wedding should be the one occasion where she honored the rituals and motions, especially considering she had waited for Connor for so long. She sat at her vanity in the church and gently touched up her hair with her fingers moments before she was to be called for that fateful walk. Then a soft rapture at her door broke her gaze from her reflection.
"Come in"
"Hey Willie. Everyone is here, we are all ready for you." Marc walked in with the bouquet of red roses arranged in a modern sphere, adorned with Swarovski crystals.
"Marc, come inside for a second." She invited him in and extended her hand to him. Marc took her hand and held it to his heart.
"You look stunning! I have never seen you look more beautiful…Timeless." Her hair cascaded in waves like an old-Hollywood starlet to one side of her face, framing her red lips perfectly. She wore a fitted French lace gown with long sleeves that poured over her body, down her hips and out from the knees cascading into a cathedral train. But as traditional as the gown was, it was a far cry from the sleek choices of the past, but in classic Wilhelmina fashion she made sure she had a little shock factor as her whole back was open to give her that edginess that she was known for as the most daring Editor in the fashion game.
She smiled at Mark with the most genuine grin at his compliment. Today she had put her guard down, no longer defensive, apprehensive or protective. It was the first time since her youth that she felt this open and honest with herself and the world around her.
"Marc this is a good time to tell you something."
"Are you going to faint? Do you need your dress adjusted? Do you…" Marc scurried to her and grabbed her hand. Wilhelmina tried to calm him with a shake of her hand. It was her day to be the crazy one, not Marc.
"Marc! Everything is perfect! Calm down! I just wanted to tell you thank you. Thank you for helping me plan everything today. Thank you for putting up with my crazy ass these past couple of months and for every day over the last few years. Thank you for being my ally. Thank you for being my trusted friend. Thank you for being my only family that I could ever count on. I will still always be there for you even though things may change a little bit now."
"Willie, you are the most important woman in my life, and always have been. But don't tell Amanda that, she would die! You are my friend, my mentor, well to be completely honest, I never thought I would say it out loud to you ever but now seems like a really good time. You were more of a mother to me than my own mother was to me. You will always be the most important woman in my life and I am sad in a way that I have to share you now, but I am so happy that you found your happiness finally. I love you Willie." He kissed her hand and she brought it to his face and motherly caressed his face and gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was the most emotion she had ever shown him.
"Everything is so far perfect but I just can't get over that Nico refused to be here today." Wilhelmina sighed and took both of his hands in hers as she confessed he small heartbreak as her eyes immediately went to the floor.
"My heart breaks for you but you need to know that today is the beginning of the rest of your life and the past is now the past. Nothing matters to this point because everything will change and your life will be filled with new promise and a possibility, which means maybe it can also be a new start for you and Nico, just like you and Connor got a second chance. One day."
"I am glad you said the past is the past…"
"What are you talking about?"
"There is something I never told you."
"What?"
"Well being in the church, and feeling as happy as I am feeling right now, there is this Catholic guilt thing…" Wilhelmina struggled to swallow the lump in her throat and continued, "…it uh, keeps coming up and I feel like I need to tell someone before I go through with this wedding to Connor."
"Tell me what?"
"Well, as you know Connor and I had to go to confession before the Catholic ceremony…"
"Yeah…"
"…and well, I wanted to tell the priest but I couldn't do it."
"Oh my god, did you wack someone?"
"No!"
"Well what then?! You're scaring me!" Her silence was enough for Marc's heart to pound through his chest cavity with such force that he could have sworn a drum was beating rather than a heart.
"I slept with Daniel Meade! I cheated on Connor!" Wilhelmina spat and quickly covered her mouth with both her hands and she was wide eyed by her confession.
Marc gasped and heaved out of breath as he looked at her wide-eyed shocked by her confession. Not another word was spoken between the old friends. The weight of the confession caused Marc to break into a cold sweat and Wilhelmina stood paralyzed by the cat she just let out of the bag, and she knew that cat was not going to be happy let out after all these months.
