The bride looked at the boy for a long time. Then, her eyes flooded with tears. “Liam…” she breathed. “That is the name I chose when I was seventeen.”
A sob shook her body. “I was alone. I was so scared. My father threatened to throw me out if I kept the baby. I gave birth in secret on a rainy night. I thought someone would find you immediately. I went back to that canal every day for weeks… but you were gone.”
She dropped to her knees in front of the boy. “I have been looking for you for eight years.”
The room was in tears. Guests wiped their eyes; others looked away, deeply moved. Liam remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Old Man Bernie raised me,” he said. “He’s very sick.”
Hearing this, the groom, who had remained quiet, raised his hand. The music stopped. He looked at his bride, then at the boy, and then at the guests. “This ceremony can wait,” he declared firmly.
A murmur of surprise swept through the estate. “Today, I am not just marrying a woman,” the groom said. “I am accepting her past. And if this boy is your son… then he is mine, too.”
But the groom wasn’t finished. He turned to his staff. “Call a car. We’re going to the city hospital.”