When Lyra woke up, the first thing she saw was a pair of worried eyes.
Joel shot up and called the doctor, finally breathing out when they confirmed she was okay.
Lyra glanced at her left wrist—a bracelet with a cross. Looked just like Joel’s.
The assistant nearby smiled. “You were out for so long, Mr. Fenwick gave you his bracelet. Even prayed last night that if you woke up, he’d give up drinking and smoking for good.”
Lyra frowned, sliding the bracelet off and holding it out. “Don’t change your habits for me.”
Joel didn’t take it, just slid it back onto her wrist. “Didn’t you make vows like that when you prayed for me back then?”
Her heart clenched.
Back in Joel’s second year of being disabled, she’d heard that making a wish at Everlight Cathedral in Lindale was supposed to be especially powerful. One night, she took him there.
They wrote their wishes on paper slips. Hers said: [I’d give up everything to make Joel healthy again.]
Joel’s slip said he wanted to marry her in five years. When she saw it, her eyes burned with tears. Joel pulled her into his arms and held her for what felt like forever. Those were the rare moments when his eyes were only on her—when Renee wasn’t around.
But now that Renee was back in Khelmark, she knew his focus would never be on her again.
She glanced at Joel’s eager expression, like he was waiting for praise, and looked away. “I’m a bit tired.”
***
When Lyra woke up, it was already afternoon.
She sat up, ready to ask the doctor about getting discharged, but froze when she caught voices from the hallway.
Evelyn sounded curious. “So, when’s the wedding with Lyra?”
Joel’s voice was flat. “End of the month. I told her before.”
Evelyn nodded. “Make it grand. The gifts better be top-tier—nothing cheap. Lyra gave her bone marrow to your little sweetheart, remember? You owe her that much.”
Then her tone shifted, like something just clicked. “Weird coincidence—your wedding’s this month, and I heard the Windsors are planning one too. The bride’s name’s Lyra… crazy,
