The crowd shifted, sympathy turning toward Sophie.
Nathaniel’s voice was calm, but carried weight. “You’ve been siphoning funds from Sophie’s father’s estate—money meant for her and her brother—into offshore accounts.”
Sophie gasped.
“That’s absurd!” Margaret stammered.
“You’ll answer to the authorities,” Nathaniel said firmly. “But today is about truth.”
He turned to Sophie, his tone softening. “This isn’t how I imagined this day, but once I learned what was happening, I couldn’t walk away. I had to protect you.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Was it real? All of it?”
He smiled. “I loved you from the moment you gave your coat to a shivering child at the shelter, when you handed away your only pair of shoes, when you smiled at me like I mattered. I loved you before you ever knew my name.”
From his pocket, he produced a small velvet box and opened it to reveal a simple, elegant ring.
“I came here dressed as a pauper, but today I ask you to marry me—not out of pity, not for appearances, but because I want to spend my life with you.”
The world seemed to fade around them.
“I will,” Sophie whispered.
The priest smiled. “Then let us continue.”
