Aaron's POV
The moment Aaron walks through those church doors, the world narrows to one thing.
Natalie.
She stands at the altar in a white dress and she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Her dress flows like water. Her veil catches the light. Her face shows shock and confusion and something else he can't quite name. Fear maybe. Or anger. Or both.
Aaron doesn't care what anyone else is thinking or feeling.
The church erupts in whispers. People turn in their seats. Someone gasps. Cameras start flashing. He registers none of it. His whole body is focused on moving forward. On reaching her. On making her understand that he's here. He's finally here and he's not leaving.
Daniel steps in front of Natalie immediately.
Aaron sees him do it but the action barely registers. Some part of Aaron understands that Daniel is trying to protect her. That Daniel thinks Aaron is a threat. That Daniel doesn't understand that Aaron would never hurt Natalie. He's already hurt her enough.
But Daniel doesn't matter right now.
Nothing matters except getting to her.
Aaron walks down the aisle and his heart pounds so hard he thinks it might break through his ribs. Three years. Three years of watching her from a distance. Three years of scrolling through her Instagram at two in the morning. Three years of imagining this moment and now it's actually happening.
She's right there.
"What are you doing here?" Daniel's voice is angry but steady.
Aaron doesn't answer. He doesn't even look at Daniel. His eyes stay locked on Natalie's face. He watches her expression change. Watches the shock turn to confusion. Watches confusion turn to something that might be pain.
He wants to tell her he's sorry. He wants to explain everything. But first he has to reach her. First he has to close this distance between them.
People stare at him as he walks. He can feel their judgment. Their curiosity. Their phones capturing every second of this moment. The media will destroy him. His company will suffer. His mother will disown him. He knows all of this and he doesn't care.
For three years he's been dying.
For three years he's been pretending to be fine while slowly breaking into pieces. He's gone to therapy. He's taken medication. He's tried to move on. But nothing worked because he spent three years knowing he made the biggest mistake of his life.
He let Natalie go.
And he's been paying for it every single day since.
"Get out," Natalie says but her voice shakes and Aaron hears it.
She's not as unaffected as she's trying to be. That small shake in her voice is all the hope Aaron needs. It means she still feels something. It means he's not crazy for believing they have a chance.
He keeps walking.
Security starts moving toward him but Aaron keeps moving forward. His legs carry him down that aisle like they know exactly what they need to do. Like his body understands something his brain is too broken to fully comprehend. He needs to reach Natalie. That's all that matters.
Everything else is just noise.
The officiant looks confused. Guests whisper louder. Someone's phone falls. Cameras flash like lightning. Aaron walks through all of it like he's walking through a dream. The church feels both real and completely unreal at the same time.
Daniel steps in front of Natalie more firmly.
"You need to leave," Daniel says. His voice is controlled but Aaron can hear the anger underneath. "You're not welcome here."
Aaron finally looks at Daniel and for a moment he feels something like guilt. This man is kind. Natalie chose him for a reason. But guilt doesn't change the fact that Natalie belongs with Aaron. That they destroyed each other and now they need to rebuild.
"I'm not leaving," Aaron says quietly.
His voice is hoarse from not sleeping. From not speaking much in the past few days. From holding everything inside until this moment.
Aaron steps closer to the altar. Daniel braces himself like he's about to fight. Sophia appears suddenly beside Natalie looking ready to attack. The officiant steps backward completely confused about what's happening.
And Aaron finally reaches the altar.
He's standing right in front of Natalie now. She's so close he can see the small details he missed while stalking her Instagram. The way her eyes are slightly red like she's been crying. The way her hands shake slightly. The way her chest rises and falls faster than it should.
She's nervous.
She's scared.
She's feeling something.
Aaron looks at her for one long moment. He takes in the sight of her in that dress. He remembers when she designed the sketch for her dream wedding dress years ago. He remembers laughing at it and telling her it was too simple. He remembers her looking disappointed. He remembers being a complete asshole about something that mattered to her.
This dress is that dress.
She built her dream without him.
"Natalie, please," Aaron says and his voice breaks completely.
He drops to his knees.
Not because he's weak. But because he's finally strong enough to be vulnerable. Strong enough to stop pretending. Strong enough to stop hiding. Strong enough to admit that his life means nothing without her.
He kneels in front of three hundred people.
He kneels in front of cameras.
He kneels in front of the woman he destroyed and the man who's trying to save her from him.
"Don't marry him," Aaron says and tears stream down his face without shame. "I made a mistake. The biggest mistake of my life. I was an idiot. I was wrong. I never stopped loving you. I need you. Please."
The church erupts.
Someone drops their phone. Cameras flash like lightning. People gasp. The officiant steps backward. Sophia grabs Natalie's arm. Daniel's face goes white.
And Aaron stays on his knees because this is what needs to happen.
This is what should have happened three years ago.
He should have fallen to his knees when Natalie asked him to choose between his company and her. He should have cried. He should have fought. He should have done everything except what he actually did which was sign those divorce papers and pretend he was fine.
But he wasn't fine.
He's never been fine.
And now kneeling in front of the entire world feels like the truest thing Aaron Blake has ever done.
"You divorced me," Natalie says and her voice carries through the chaos. "You told me I wasn't good enough for your world."
Aaron looks up at her from his knees and sees the pain written across her face. Sees the hurt he caused. Sees the woman he shattered trying so hard to hold herself together.
"I was wrong," Aaron says desperately. "About everything. You were the only thing that mattered and I threw it away. I've been dying without you. Please. One more chance."
Natalie stares down at him and Aaron can see her fighting herself. He can see part of her wanting to help him. He can see part of her wanting to throw him out. He can see the conflict written across her beautiful face.
This is the moment.
This is the second where everything changes.
And Aaron Blake kneels in front of three hundred people with nothing left to lose and everything to gain.