Chapter 6

Wedding guests gasped. A collective scream tore through the ballroom. Chaos erupted. Panic spread like wildfire as people rushed toward the shattered window, peering down at the unimaginable horror unfolding below.

"Oh my God!"

"She jumped!"

"Call an ambulance! Call the police!"

"I don't want to be involved in this," a woman whispered, pulling her husband away. "Let's go. Now."

On the stage, Dexter and Barbara stood, caught in the sudden silence of the crowd. Dexter looked confused. "What's happening?" he asked, his voice strained.

Barbara's face was ashen, her eyes wide with a fear I had never seen before. She said nothing, only stared at the broken window.

"Barbara, what is it?" Dexter pressed, starting to step down from the stage.

Barbara grabbed his arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "No! Don't go! We have to finish the ceremony! Now!"

Dexter hesitated, then nodded slowly. He looked back at the empty space where I had been. "Where's Ella?" he asked, a faint frown on his face. He quickly waved a few security guards over. "Find Ella. Make sure she's okay. Take her home."

The ballroom, though still buzzing with nervous energy, began to settle. Staff quickly moved to cover the broken window, guiding guests away. The wedding planner, a harried woman with a headset, signaled the band. The music started again, a hesitant, mournful tune that felt horribly out of place.

Dexter returned to the stage, Barbara clinging to his arm. The officiant, visibly shaken, cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, let us continue this joyous occasion." He stumbled over his words, trying to regain control.

"Just get on with it," Dexter snapped, his voice impatient. "The vows."

The officiant nodded, his eyes darting nervously between Dexter and the still-shaken crowd. "Dexter Newman, do you take Barbara Swanson to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Barbara beamed, her fear momentarily forgotten. "I do!" she declared, her voice unnaturally loud.

The officiant turned to Dexter. "And do you, Dexter Newman, take Barbara Swanson to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Dexter looked at Barbara, then past her, his gaze unfocused. His mind drifted. He saw a different face. Ella. Her wide, trusting eyes. Her shy smile when he gave her flowers. Her laughter, light and genuine, echoing in their small apartment.

He remembered her in the crisis center, her fierce dedication, her empathy for strangers. He remembered the night she designed his dragon tattoo, tracing the lines on his skin, her fingers warm against him. It was a symbol of strength, she said, for him to overcome his own gilded cage.

He loved her. He realized it then, a crushing, devastating truth. He hadn't just been playing a game. He truly loved Ella. The realization hit him like a physical blow. He had loved her, genuinely, deeply. And he had destroyed her.

Barbara nudged him. "Dexter? The vows."

He blinked, brought back to the sterile reality of the stage, the expectant faces. "I... I do," he mumbled, his voice flat, devoid of emotion.

"Excellent!" the officiant chirped, sensing the tension. "Now, the rings."

A small ring pillow, held by a nervous flower girl, was presented. Dexter reached for Barbara' s hand. He knelt, a grand gesture for the cameras. He picked up the ring. It was a platinum band, intricately set with diamonds. His family' s heirloom. His gaze fell upon it.