Early next morning a call reached them when they were having a breakfast with Vega, Rodney, Campbell and Westmoreland in the lab's cafeteria. Joker activated his omitool and swallowed hard.

"Hackett," he said carefully.

"Moreau," Hackett nodded grimly. Without any further questions Joker took the new omnitool off his wrist and handed it over to Jo. She took it while Vega tactfully urged the security team to finish their breakfast and leave Jo and Joker alone to have this conversation.

"Hackett," Jo's voice was completely neutral.

"Shepard," the man sounded nothing like his usual composed and confident self all of a sudden. He shuddered and Joker noticed that he was a little dishevelled and wasn't wearing a uniform. Instead he was dressed in a t-shirt that looked slept in, and the room behind him revealed an unmade bed. Was Hackett calling them from his bedroom? The elder man's voice hitched when he asked: "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Jo asked matter-of-factly.

"Nothing!" Hackett exclaimed, but then shook his head, as if trying to sort through his thoughts. "And yet... everything." He took a deep breath and looked Jo in the eye. "The last... hell, the last couple of years seem like I've watched a film of someone's life instead of living it. Everything was so clear to me, so perfectly logical... But this morning I woke up and everything shifted. It feels like a fog has cleared, or a lens that distorted my sight has been removed. Last week everything made sense, but today I realised that those weren't my own thoughts, not my plans. What happened?"

"You were indoctrinated, Hackett," Jo said calmly and carefully. "There is a geth conscience in your brain right now. It cleared the effects of the indoctrination and now you're back. The real you, not the asshole the Reapers made you."

Hackett took a few long moments to absorb the information.

"How did a geth conscience get inside my brain?" He asked then.

"There was some tech involved. You should visit here in Greenland soon. Link would like to reunite with the other half of his software. Don't worry, he knew what he was doing. He cleared me of indoctrination first."

"Shepard," Hackett rubbed his hands over his face, his expression becoming anguished. "What have I done? What have I been up to all this time? What have I done to you?"

Jo sighed. Joker remained perfectly silent at her side. He didn't want to know what it was like to be Hackett right now.

"I won't sugar-coat it, you've been a nightmare to deal with lately. But the good thing is that you weren't as indoctrinated as Anderson, you didn't stand in my way, so I didn't have to kill you. You're better now, that's all that counts."

Hackett looked very old, exhausted, even drained.

"I know I have no right asking for forgiveness after..."

"I forgive you," Jo interrupted the man. "As long as you know what the right thing to do is now."

"I've just sent in my resignation, effective immediately." Hackett's jaws clenched. "But what do I do now?"

"If you want to redeem yourself, you could start by helping people. I even have an idea. Joker and I are getting married and then we're leaving Earth behind forever. We plan to settle down somewhere that's not a total dump. Vega's been doing a great job on the orphanages and the database so far, but when I leave Earth, I'm taking him with me. There is this unfinished business regarding his training. Someone needs to take over what he's been doing though. If you're looking for a job, here's your chance. Maybe the most important job of your life."

Joker couldn't say he was very surprised that Jo was claiming Vega like this, even though he didn't like the third wheel. It seemed to him sometimes that when the bulky man had stepped into Jo's holding cell in Vancouver, Jo and Joker had become Jo, Joker and Vega. Of course Jo saw Vega as a student most of the time, a protégé, a child to take care of, but he could sense that the chemistry was changing. Jo had lost her edge and some sort of a primal fear in her made her afraid of the dangerous man Vega had become lately. He wouldn't be a student for much longer. He was heading steadfastly towards being an equal. Despite knowing that Jo was his and only his, Joker still didn't like another man's permanent presence in her life. Unlike Garrus and Wrex and all the others Vega was in love with her. How long can you resist someone who thinks you're irresistible?

"I would be proud to take over," Hackett nodded solemnly. He pulled himself together, straightened up and cloaked himself in his usual air of composure. "As my last order as an active Admiral I want to do something for you, Shepard."

"Oh?" Jo immediately grew tense. Years of dealing with this man's bullshit created a habit of being wary of him.

"You resigned and won't return to active duty, I know that. But to let you sink into oblivion would be criminally irresponsible. You are one of a kind even among our family, and should be given a chance to pass on your philosophy and experience to others."

"Huh?" Jo sounded completely perplexed.

"The ICA, Shepard. The Academy is nearly destroyed. Thanks to your reputation all the other agents have been targeted by the Reapers and systematically eliminated. Trust me, they took it as a compliment and each and every one of them died with a bang. But we paid the price. Most of the facilities are destroyed and up to 95% of active agents are dead. Whoever remained are scattered and currently without orders. The leadership is gone, Shepard. The ICA needs a new leader, someone with a vision, with patience to teach, with passion for the cause, someone exceptional to lead the best of the best. You're already training Lieutenant Vega with the Academy's permission. Why don't you make it official and take over?"

Jo sat there stunned for a long moment. Joker was also shocked, but he saw an opportunity. If she accepted the position, it could give them a chance to make all their dreams come true. He would be her pilot forever, while she would have a job she could leave at the office at the end of the day and go home. She would be active, but not going on missions and putting herself in danger. They could have some peace and stability.

Jo turned to look at him then and he saw a whole world turning upside down behind those beautiful eyes. Training Vega was a big deal for her, a huge honour bestowed upon her by someone she respected and loved. Someone who had trained her and made her who she was. Becoming the leader of the organisation that meant so much to her was probably beyond her imagination.

Her face hardened then and she looked back at Hackett:

"ICA is a military branch. I'm not in the military."

Joker had told her the night they spent in the mountains that he didn't want to be anywhere near the military anymore and he realised that Jo would walk away from this for him. Before he could protest, Hackett spoke up:

"The plans have been set in motion months ago. A new station has been commissioned and is in the last stages of completion as we speak. I had plans for it while I was indoctrinated, but I know now that there isn't anyone in the galaxy more deserving of the position than you. Shepard, you don't have to bend to the rules. I think it's time the rules were bent for you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you want to make the Academy a civilian project, then that's what it's going to be. It'll become whatever you envision for our family. I know I can trust you with it."

A silence hung in the room for a minute.

"If I were to accept, the ICA would not only become civilian, it would also become open to all species, not just humans," Jo demanded.

"Whatever you feel is right, Shepard," Hackett agreed without any fuss. Jo looked over at Joker then and he saw his entire future unfold in front of him. And he fucking loved the idea. He couldn't stop a grin as he reached out and ran his hand down her arm. His whole body was tingling and he needed to touch her, feel her, connect with her. She took the gesture for what it was, swallowed hard, and looked at Hackett once more:

"We accept."

"Thank you," Hackett nodded.

"Out of curiosity," Joker spoke up for the first time. "Where is this station you're building?" He hoped it wasn't in Earth's orbit.

"Chrysalis," Hackett said.

"What's chrysalis, other than the obvious?" Jo frowned.

"It's a new colony," Joker explained. He'd heard about it from Vega and on the news when he felt like catching up while he waited for Jo's resurrection. "A garden planet in the Eagle Nebula. The planet only had a tiny settlement before the Reapers. It went largely unnoticed by them. So, when refugees from other systems looked for a place to go, they found the place."

"Exactly," Hackett nodded. "The original settlement grew very fast during the war and the Reapers only hit it a few days before the last battle, so the destruction was minimal. The planet is supposed to be beyond beautiful. The capital, also called Chrysalis, now houses over five million people. Since it was intact after the war, big companies and investors from around the galaxy chose the planet as their new development site. Like you two, many people are looking for a fresh start and Chrysalis is the new happening place now. People with big money settled there and even the Council currently resides there, while a new Citadel is being built. Industry is booming. There are lots of resources and there is even a small planet with element zero in the same system. What might be more interesting for you is that the planet isn't dominated by any one species. All refugees were welcome there, so you'll find your perfect mix of all species there, all cooperating peacefully, just the way you like it."

"This sounds a little bit too good to be true," Jo tried to sound suspicious, but Joker knew: she was already sold on the idea. "What's the downside?"

"Hordes upon hordes of nosy reporters?" Hackett smiled and Jo chuckled.

"Yeah, there had to be something. All right, we're in. When do you want us there?"

"When can you start? The station is almost finished, you'll need to hire staff, call for recruits, organise funding and sponsors besides the Alliance, contact arms manufacturers, labs, facilities - well, build the whole deal from the ground up."

Joker felt a bubble of giddiness rise in his chest. The job sounded very demanding, but nothing less could hold Jo's attention. She had a lot of energy and had to put it somewhere. If there was anyone in the galaxy who could run such an operation single-handedly, it was Jo. The job was perfect for her.

"We are getting married first, and then we want our honeymoon, undisturbed. So, in about a month I'm all over the project."

"It will be there, waiting for you," Hackett agreed. "Stand strong, stand fast."

"Stand together," Jo finished. Hackett ended the call, leaving the two of them in elevated silence.

"So," Vega peeked in from outside. "Am I about to be arrested and court-martialed for assault of my superior officer?"

"He doesn't know you were involved and there is no reason he should," Jo shrugged.

"Did it work, then? Was he really indoctrinated?"

"Yes. He just resigned from the Alliance. I asked him to take over your projects here on Earth. In return he made us an offer we couldn't refuse."

"Oh?" Joker could see Vega's face fall at the news that he would no longer be needed.

"You're looking at the new leader of the Interplanetary Combatives Academy," Joker grinned at the other man. Vega and the whole security team behind him froze.

"Really?"

"Yeah, that name is the first thing that goes," Jo grumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"ICA. It will no longer stand for Interplanetary Combatives Academy. As long as I'm in charge it will mean Intergalactic Cooperation Academy."

"That's not pretentious at all," Rodney grinned.

"Yeah, and most importantly: humble," Joker agreed. But joke as he might, he could see the effect the news had on Vega. The younger man all but melted into a puddle of love, affection, admiration and wonder as he looked at Jo now. Jeezus, he really had it bad.

"Jo," Link came in. "Grunt is awake and wants to talk to you."

"Yay!" Jo squealed like a little girl and all but skipped towards the lab. Joker shook his head: she was squealing now? That didn't sound like the old Shepard. He wondered what other surprises he would find in this new Jo, the one who didn't have a dark side anymore, according to her.

"Sheparrrrrrrrd," Grunt struggled to get up from the lab table where he'd been placed after spending the night in the tank with regenerative fluids. It was an awkward move since he had no left arm and basically no legs. The machines had cleaned the burned stumps and prepared the tissue for the transplants, but the new limbs were just starting to grow in the other lab. Right now Grunt was literally half the man he used to be, but that didn't stop him from grinning like a maniac.

"Baby," Jo stopped his squirming by taking his gigantic face between her hands and leaning her forehead against his. "I heard that you got cut in half while protecting someone?"

"I don't know," Grunt shrugged dismissively. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I'm proud of you, so proud," she cooed and kissed her son's forehead. Grunt's grin fell and he closed his eyes. When Jo didn't let go, he tensed, then shuddered. His one remaining arm crept around Jo's waist and he tugged her into his side, his huge fingers digging hard into her flesh. Joker felt a tight knot in his throat as he watched Grunt silently fall apart. The cockiness, the bravado slipped for a moment and the horror of what had happened to him washed over the young krogan. His close call, the near death experience, months in a dark, damp cellar, feverish and in pain, without any hope of finding his way back on his own, the loss of his limbs that would have made him a cripple for the rest of his life if cloning hadn't been approved.

But it was all right now. Jo had found her baby and she would make everything better. Joker sometimes forgot how much this blind faith in her meant to people, the knowledge that she could fix anything.

Grunt composed himself quickly. Before today Joker would have sworn that Grunt would rather lose a limb than admit to any kind of weakness. A totally inappropriate joke right now, he realised. The guy lost three limbs, for fuck's sake.

"What did I miss?"

"Well," Jo sat down on the edge of the lab table and the rest of them gathered around to pat Grunt's shoulder in greeting. "The world is turning, it never stops. The most important news right now is that I'm getting married in a week."

Grunt looked at Joker from hat to boots, then asked Jo:

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Yes, I am," she smiled serenely. Grunt turned to Joker again and growled:

"You ever hurt her, you're dead meat. I'll grind you and stomp on you until nothing is left."

"And here I was starting to wonder when the death threats would finally begin," Joker rolled his eyes. "So far everyone who's allegedly so protective of Jo just accepted the wedding announcement without a fuss."

"Don't care about others," Grunt grunted. "You hurt my Shepard, you enter a world of pain."

"Fair enough," Joker nodded, then turned very serious and got right into Grunt's face. "And now you listen here, lizard man. You ever scare my Jo by nearly dying ever again, you make her worry about you again, you make her cry about your wounds - I will land a Kodiak on top of you. Again and again until nothing is left!"

Grunt recoiled and the others stared at him in stunned silence. Joker huffed. What, did all these macho men in Jo's life think he was some wallflower, a helpless appendage? He was as fiercely protective of the woman who owned his heart as any of them, and he could do a lot of damage if he wanted to, no matter how brittle his bones were. The pup had ways to go until he could actually intimidate Joker. Harder people than him had tried and they all had failed.

Jo distracted him by saying:

"I'm so hot for you right now!"

Joker hurled her off the table and against himself. That was where she belonged and he would break skulls and rip out throats to keep her there.

"So," Grunt coughed. "Where is this wedding taking place and when are we leaving?"

"You're in no condition to go hopping around the galaxy. You need rest," Jo protested.

"You go on and try stopping me from going," Grunt declared. Jo only rolled her eyes.


James felt like crying. Who wouldn't? The woman he loved with his whole being was getting married tomorrow to another man. Bigger and bigger parts of his soul were dying the closer the appointed date was approaching. Nearly a week ago they collected all needed supplies and all the crew members still on and around Earth and headed towards Ilos. Yesterday they had arrived here, met up with everyone who was coming to the wedding in their own ships and shuttles, found a nice location and set everything up.

It turned out that the Prothean scientists had more facilities here than just the graveyard. Not far from those creepy tunnels they found a big dome, probably used as a recreation centre before. Now it was merely a skeleton of a building with no roof left, but the arches were overgrown with vines and cast beautiful shade over the paved little plaza in the middle, a perfect spot for a wedding party. A QEC pad was installed on one end of it to transmit the holos of the current three Council members, who would lead the ceremony. While the order was broken and all species were discussing candidates for their own spots on the new Council, the old members remained. Traynor had done a great job establishing flawless communication with them.

Most people were busy all day cleaning up the place, putting up decorations, lights, music and preparing food. James volunteered for the hardest jobs to get his mind off the pain gnawing at him from the inside. Sadly it didn't help. With all the training Jo had put him through, he'd learned to keep his mind active no matter what his body was going through. Now the ability was kicking him in the nuts.

When the evening before the wedding fell upon the planet, James found himself completely jobless and itching for something to do. Before he knew it, he ended up in the CIC and noticed the familiar ACE hat peeking over the pilot's seat. Joker was in the cockpit, all alone. Before James could decide to leave the man alone, some morbid part of him already moved his body towards the lone figure.

"Hey, Bones," he bounced on the balls of his feet. Joker jumped slightly and turned his chair a little to give James a sidelong glance.

"'sup," he said in a way of greeting. James noticed that all the consoles were powered down. Joker was sitting here in darkness.

"What are you doing, brooding here all alone?" He couldn't help the urge to needle Joker a little bit. "You're not getting cold feet now, are you?"

"Of course I am," Joker said grimly. "Who wouldn't, if they were in my shoes?"

James had to admire the man's honesty. Not many would have admitted to their feelings, not when the bride's name was Commander Fucking Shepard.

"Is there going to be a wedding, still?"

That got Joker's attention, and earned him a dirty look.

"Wouldn't you just love that, me chickening out and giving you a chance? Over your dead body, asshole."

James shrugged:

"Never said it wouldn't make my day. But I want her to be happy, and you seem to be it for her, so it doesn't matter what I want."

"As long as we're clear on that," Joker snorted and turned away again to continue gazing at his dark console. After a few long moments of silence James' lips curled in a sly smile:

"Do you think she's getting cold feet now, too?"

Joker gave James a look:

"Are we talking about the same Commander Shepard here who head-butts krogans, sucker-punches yagh and goes one-on-one against a Reaper with nothing but a targeting laser? Pfffft. She is freaking out right now."

James' eyebrows rose:

"How do you know? Are you monitoring her through security cameras?"

"Does it look like I'm monitoring anything?" Joker jerked his chin at his dark console. "I'm about to marry that woman, I know her. Which is why I'm about to marry her."

That answer irked James. Did Joker really know Shepard so well? Was she really freaking out right now? Well, there was no reason he couldn't check it out and use that as a reason to see her one last time as an unmarried woman.

When he rang the door to the Captain's loft a few moments later, he almost immediately received permission to enter. At first, when he looked around the cabin, he thought it was empty. Then he noticed Lola sitting on the floor under her desk, hugging her knees and tapping her feet in a nervous rhythm.

He let the picture sink in.

"You really are freaking the hell out," he shook his head in disbelief. "Joker was right."

"Did you doubt his words or something?" She asked, her face hidden in the shadows, but her voice as strong as ever. "You really shouldn't do that."

"Oh, yeah?" James folded his body to sit on the floor of Shepard's little office, so that they could talk on eye level. "He's the guy who told Javik it was human custom to rotate toothbrushes of the whole crew every Monday."

"Oh, yeah," Shepard grinned. "There was that."

"And he's the guy who hacked into Liara's computer and switched up the icons for her applications. She fumed for four hours until she realised what was going on. And then she fumed for three full days because he managed to get past her firewalls."

She laughed at that and the nervous tapping of her foot stopped.

"He's also the guy who placed a fake order of hamster food and made Esteban run around the Citadel for half a day until the poor guy realised what was what. And he signed up most of the crew for various crazy newsletters, porn sites, religious radicals' sites, fetish sites, bad jokes sites and so on. He also wrote and sent over a dozen fake 'breaking news' messages to Allers that got her salivating at the juicy gossip. Not to mention he regularly sent fake orders from you to Campbell and Westmoreland, sending them across the ship for nothing."

"About that," she bit her lip, trying to hide a grin. "If I recall correctly, you and Garrus were with Joker half of those times, placing bets on how long the girls would run around."

"Never said I wasn't guilty," James shrugged. "I'm just saying: anyone who trusts Joker's word does so at their own peril."

"And I'm just saying: I never once had a reason to doubt anything he said."

"Aren't you the lucky one?"

"I am," she sighed dreamily.

"Then why are you freaking out?"

Her smile faded a little.

"I don't know."

"Aren't you the one with a psychology degree?"

"Oh, I know why I'm freaking out. I don't know if you're the right person to talk to about it."

It was James' turn to become more serious:

"Just because I love you, it doesn't mean I want you two to break up. You know, the fact that you're so true to him makes you even more amazing. So talk to me."

She squirmed a little and the nervous tapping of her feet returned. James took in her form and was surprised to notice how petite she looked. Her larger-than-life personality was tucked away completely and she seemed smaller, simpler than usual... even ordinary. And so much more desirable for that.

"He said something to me the other day," she began with a sigh, having decided to confide in him despite her misgivings. "It was after an argument and he said: 'Is this what our married life is going to be like? You railroading me into anything you want?' At the moment I thought: I am a forceful personality like that, so yeah, probably. Now I'm thinking: what if he gets tired of that one day?"

James said nothing. It was a valid concern and he couldn't exactly assure her that it wouldn't happen. Instead he encouraged her to talk more:

"Do you have more worries?"

She measured him up and down for a long moment before she spoke again:

"I'm a deeply messed up person, Vega. The evil psychologist at ICA beat all the textbook issues out of me, but..."

"Textbook issues?"

"Yeah, you know, the classical issues humans have," she ticked things off on her fingers: "The mummy or daddy issue: my mother never loved me or I was never good enough for my father. Then there's the abandonment issue: everyone always leaves me! Then the hurting issue: everyone who gets close to me gets hurt or killed. And the doll issue: people always see a pretty doll when they look at me, but not the real me!" She said it all with disgusted sarcasm. "I don't have those. My issue is and always was: I don't have any blood family, so I'm desperately clinging to anyone who likes me. So I can't help wondering tonight if Joker is someone I cling to because he shows me affection, or if I really, truly love him."

"Are you doubting yourself?"

"I never used to," she shrugged. "I was so sure about this from the very beginning..."

"You never really told me about how it all began with you and him," James made himself comfortable under the table next to her.

"In the beginning there was a writing on the wall and I was too stupid to read it," she chuckled. "Alenko was making goo-goo eyes at me at the time and things were changing rapidly in my life. I got my own ship, became a Spectre, got whammed by a Prothean beacon, took on non-humans on my crew, got out of the Alliance's chain of command... Started thinking about feelings for the first time in my life. And there was something on the ship that got under my skin. At first I thought it was Alenko who made me feel so unlike my old self, and realised much too late that it wasn't him. It was Joker. He didn't look at me with hero worship. No, he was fucking me with his eyes and felt no need to hide it. But he also listened to me. Really listened. Not selectively, like most other people do, only hearing what they want to hear. He actually listened to what I had to say."

She chuckled gently and even in the darkness of their spot James could see a gooey smile on her face.

"He caught me by surprise. I mean, he's so different from me! When I decided to become strong, I trained until I could dismember any man with my bare hands. And then there's Joker. He can't even kick anyone in the shin without breaking his foot, and yet he's the strongest person I know. He completely threw me off balance, turned over everything I thought I knew about myself. And then, before I could do anything about it, I died. I tossed him into that escape pod and he shouted 'Shepard!' after me. I still hear it in my head now and then, the last word I heard before my death. He put everything he felt into that word. Just from his voice I knew that he truly loved me. So when I came back to life, I homed in on him and tried my best to fix myself for him, to be worthy of him. When I thought I was ready to take the next step, I told him how I felt. Totally blew up in my face."

"Why? What happened?"

"I asked him out, so we went to Afterlife on Omega..."

"That was your idea of a romantic location?" James snorted.

"No, I asked him where he would like to go, and that was what he chose. So, there we sat. At first he thought it was a practical joke. Then he got really angry. Then he told me that us, together, that was never going to happen."

James' jaw hit his chest.

"I can't believe it."

"Yeah, well, he made it sound like he didn't like me that way, but I remembered how he sounded right before I died. I knew he loved me."

"Then what was his damage?"

"He didn't take my confession lightly. Just like you, when Joker commits to something, he fully commits. So, he had a huge decision to make and he took his sweet time before he committed to it. But I kept working on him until he finally gave in. One more point to the theory that I'm railroading him into anything I want."

"Hm," James leaned back, thinking. "Can he tell you what to do?"

"Well, sure. He can totally tell me what to do. In fact, if he made me choose between him and that issue we were arguing about the other day, I would have changed my mind without hesitation and chosen him over it."

"See, there it is. Because there is only one other guy in the whole world who can tell you what to do. Garrus. And the big difference is: even Scars gets scared and submits to you when you get angry. Not so Joker."

"What are you saying?" She frowned at him.

"I'm saying that you may cling to many people who care about you because you have no family, but Joker is different. Your feelings for him are so strong that you would change your mind for him - which you wouldn't do for anyone else. And as for him, he doesn't have to let you railroad him into anything he truly doesn't want. He's not afraid of you. If he was really against something, he could always put his foot down and either refuse to do it or forbid you to do it. He is strong enough to resist you, and he knows himself well enough to still be his own person, no matter how much you influence everyone else. I don't think you have to worry about railroading him too much. You're putty in his hands, you know that, right?"

"I am?" Her eyebrows shot upwards.

"Totally. It's funny to watch sometimes: the great and amazing Commander Shepard, Joker's little bitch at the snap of his fingers," he said, wondering if he just insulted her. She only grinned in return:

"Isn't it crazy how that idea makes me all warm and tingly inside? Knowing that he'd never abuse that power."

"It's also crazy how well he knows you."

"Yeah, he has two things that give meaning to his life. Flying and finding out every possible titbit of information about me. And I don't mind being the second in his affections."

"Oh, you're his number one all right. When it came to a choice, he didn't hesitate for a second. He left the Normandy behind to move to Greenland, he set up a cot in the lab where your body was and settled down for the long haul. I'm still not sure why he insisted on being inside the lab, but he was extremely devoted."

"Oh, he knows why, and so do I."

"Want to tell me?"

She gave him a long, speculating glance.

"Joker knows that one of my worst fears is to have no control over what is being done to my body. So he made sure I was guarded while I couldn't watch out for myself."

"I see. Lola, you should never think that you come second in his affections. The man couldn't be more devoted."

"I know. I just like teasing him about it."

"Are you still freaking out?"

"Hm," she thought about it. "No, I'm not. Thanks for talking to me."

"Anytime," James said, climbing out from beneath the desk and getting to his feet. "It's a pleasure."

While he was around her, he couldn't help but bask in the glow of her happiness, but once he stepped out of her cabin and the door locked behind him, James' heart broke for good, bringing him to his knees. He had to grab the railing next to the elevator to stay vertical. His breathing reduced to shallow gulps and his throat tightened with upcoming tears.

This was it. The woman who stole his heart without even intending to was about to become someone else's wife and the most cruel part was that James couldn't hate either of them for it. It was all so wrong, and yet completely right.