William's P.O.V

"So Willy, are you happy with him, or should we throw him into a volcano?" Jace asked, narrowing his eyes at Arthur, who nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"I really want to know the answer. If he’s not happy with me, I'll throw myself into the volcano. No need to do it for me," Arthur said seriously, and I rolled my eyes, playfully slapping the back of his head.

"Don't talk nonsense, stupid! Of course, you make me happy! I don't go down on just anyone," I stated, patting his cheeks. He grinned widely, nuzzling against mine.

"No PDA, please! I only started watching porn four months ago! I'm still innocent!" Jace squeaked, and Kaleb raised an eyebrow.

"Why were you watching porn?" Kaleb asked, confused, and Jace rolled his eyes.

"Don't be jealous. I only watched it once because I was curious about how bad the roleplay before a scene starts really is," Jace said, and Kaleb hummed, pecking his forehead.

"You don't need to watch porn; I'm here," he mumbled.

"No PDA, please! I only watched porn when I was 15! I'm too innocent for that now," I teased, and we all burst into laughter.

Ah, I missed them so much!

The rest of the night, we caught up on everything we’d missed, and it ended with me feeling guilty.

"I'm so sorry I didn't invite you to my wedding," I apologized once again, my heart squeezing with pain. Jace smirked, leaning against Kaleb as he grinned.

"Are you sure?" he said, and just at that moment, Arthur turned me around before dropping to one knee. My heart quickened, and an uncontrollable smile tugged at my lips.

"Will you marry me again, William? Last time, you gave me the assurance that you were mine. This time, give me your heart," he said, and I stretched my shaky hands toward him, nodding.

"Y-yes," I whispered, and Arthur slipped the second ring onto my finger before standing to kiss me gently.

"I love you, baby," he whispered, and I smiled, tears filling my eyes.

"I love you, daddy," I whispered back.

"And this is why I didn’t kill you! Your husband called us yesterday and told us not to be harsh with you. He convinced me by saying that he planned to propose to you again," Jace said, and I hugged Arthur tightly.

"Thank you! I never even thought of this," I said, and he hugged me even tighter.

"I need your support because I plan to mend things with my dad by inviting him to the wedding. Also, I want to invite Ajax, my stepbrother. I know it might sound foolish—"

I immediately silenced him by pressing my lips to his.

"Don’t you dare think it’s foolish because it’s not! I know it’s debatable whether or not to invite Ajax, but I think you should. You want him to be part of your life, to feel important, right?" I said, and Arthur pecked my forehead.

"No, it’s because this marriage would never have happened if it weren’t for him. If I still had Ares, I would have never met you. I wouldn’t have even looked at you! I found out the truth about my mom, and I’m happier than before because now I can trust everyone. No one is hiding secrets from me anymore. I know everything, and I’ve got three little kids. And, of course, I have the sexiest husband to support me," he teased, and I chuckled.

"I’m grateful to him too! I would have been a depressed man trying to find love, but now, I’ve already found it," I stated.

"You guys are giving me diabetes! Stop!" Jace whined, stomping his feet, and I laughed at him.

...

We stood in front of Arthur’s house, with him nervously holding our wedding invitation.

"It’s alright, Arthur. I’m here," I said, and he sighed, squeezing my hand. We walked toward the door, and the guards immediately bowed to Arthur, welcoming him. Arthur smiled at them and nodded. He knocked on the door, and a few minutes later, his dad opened it. The man was shocked to see Arthur, but you could see the happiness in his expression.

"Hi, Dad," Arthur said.

"Hi, Dad," I whispered nervously, and his dad turned to look at me, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"Please come in. It’s your home anyway," he said, stepping aside, and Arthur nodded, pulling me by the hand.

Before Arthur could say anything, his dad instantly pulled him into a hug, patting his back. His dad had some white hair, but even at 47 years old, the man was really handsome. He resembled Arthur so much. The differences were the frown lines on his face and a few other features, but other than that, he looked like a preview of what Arthur would look like in the future.

His dad pulled back, and I felt like he accepted me as Arthur’s husband as he hugged me too, patting my back.

"Thank you, William," he whispered in my ear before pulling back, and I bit my lip, glancing at a nervous Arthur.

"Um, where’s Cassandra?" he asked, and just at that moment, the woman in question arrived with a genuine smile on her lips.

"Hi, kids. Are you alright?" she asked, and Arthur nodded. He walked toward her and hugged her surprised frame. When he pulled back, I handed both of them our wedding invitation with a smile.

"Hi guys, I’m here to invite you to mine and William’s wedding. In the past, we married each other due to a contract, and many people were missing from our ceremony, including William’s close friends. We want to have a wedding based on love, and I want my dad and his girlfriend to come," Arthur said, and they both smiled with pride.

"I’m proud of you, Arthur. I’ve always been proud of you. Would you like to join us for lunch? Knowing Cassandra, she probably cooked for six people," his dad teased, and Cassandra playfully hit his head.

"Stupid! Don’t you dare bully me. I told you, one day, my extra cooking will save us from embarrassment! Now, thanks to me, your son can enjoy lunch peacefully and feel welcomed," she scolded, and Uther laughed, pecking her cheek.

"Alright, lovely, thank you," he said, and Arthur gave a sad smile.

"I always thought that the reason you never talked to Mom or showed her love was because you wanted to appear tough, but you just didn’t love her. I am happy for you, Dad. I don’t blame you for moving on. I can tell that Cassandra makes you happy, and I’m glad to see you both together. I will never call you Mom, but I will consider you as my mother, Cassandra. I hope you’ll love me like a mother," Arthur said, blushing as tears filled her eyes.

She instantly hugged him and cried on his chest. Arthur awkwardly patted her back, looking at his dad with concern.

"She isn’t able to have children. That’s why she’s so happy; she’s always wished to have someone to call her son. Now, she has you. Cassandra and I are engaged. When I was with Marissa, Cassandra never married anyone. I only found her three years ago, and we were still in love with each other," his dad said softly, and Cassandra wiped her tears.

"I hope you’ll enjoy my cooking," she said.

We had lunch together, and I got to know Arthur’s dad and Cassandra better. They were lovely people, and I enjoyed spending time with them.

The following weeks were incredibly busy. We had our wedding to organize, which was due in two weeks. This time, Arthur and I chose our suits together.

Arthur tried to contact Ajax. The man, who was in another country, received Arthur’s message and said he wouldn’t be able to attend our wedding. Arthur was disappointed, but his mood improved when, one week before our wedding, he received a large gift box. Inside were various toys and handmade gifts, such as paintings, toy cars, and poems. There was also a note attached, which made Arthur cry like a baby.

‘Hi Arthur, Ajax here! I wish you the best for your wedding. I won’t be able to attend—not because I don’t want to—but because I’ve just started a new job as a teacher. I can’t afford to take two weeks off because I’m on a one-month trial.

Inside the box are my gifts for you. My mom instigated me against you and used to tell me how I wasn’t loved because of you. She lied, saying Uther knew about me and hated me but loved you because you resembled him more, or other nonsense like that.

Anyway, despite everything, I always made or bought gifts for you on your birthday because you were still my stepbrother. I made them with love, imagining a different world where we could have been siblings. They’re yours now. Just know that I don’t hate you anymore, Arthur. I promise you, one day, I’ll come to visit you as your big brother and share your happiness! I will always wish you the best.

I know I said I tried to fix things between you and your father out of guilt, but that wasn’t the case. I felt ashamed of myself because you paid for something that was my mother’s fault. I didn’t want to live with this guilt for the rest of my life, so I contacted Uther and came clean. That’s why I chose to come clean to you as well.

When you feel ready, contact me. I know we didn’t start on the right foot, but we could become friends. If it’s still too soon for you, I understand. I just want you to be happy.

Best wishes,

Ajax’

I was grateful that Arthur had given Ajax a chance. Even if he didn’t attend our wedding, I was sure they would eventually talk and mend things. I saw it in Arthur’s eyes: He was hopeful, and I was hopeful too.

Finally, our wedding day arrived. Everyone was present. Kaleb, Jace, and my other close friends were there, as well as my work colleagues. But the person who made me cry was Mrs. Potter. She had helped me a lot during my early years of university, and I hadn’t seen her since I left to work in the clinic. She had aged a lot, and her face was full of wrinkles, but I still saw the spark in her eyes.

Arthur’s dad was our officiant, and Arthur and I were getting married in a garden filled with flowers. It was a lovely day with a warm breeze blowing gently through the air.

The wedding was perfect, and as we exchanged our vows, I knew that this time, we weren’t marrying each other because of a contract but because of love.

As Arthur and I kissed, I felt his heart beat in sync with mine, and I knew we were destined to be together forever.