Two years later, the wedding wasn’t a big social event, but it was the most emotional celebration anyone could remember. Carmen and Diego were married in a garden at sunset. Luna, now completely healthy and radiant, carried the rings.
During the voting, Diego didn’t talk about empty promises. He talked about circles.
“Life is a circle,” he said, looking into the eyes of the woman he loved. “Sometimes the arc is so wide we can’t see where it’s going. I threw a stone into the water fourteen years ago when I walked into that building, not knowing the ripples would come back to me when I needed them most, bringing me the person who would save my entire world. Carmen, you gave me my daughter’s life, and then you gave me yours. I promise you that every day I have left will be to honor that gift.”
Carmen, with her dress uniform stored in the wardrobe and dressed in white, replied:
—I thought I was repaying you a debt, but I realized that love isn’t an accounting. There are no debts, only love that flows and returns. You saved me from the fire so I could save Luna from illness, so the three of us could save ourselves from loneliness.