Wed, Set, Go!

The wedding crowd and all its chaos faded into a distant murmur. Here, in the heart of the maze, time dared not intrude. It was just Althea. And Max.

Makeup smudged, hair half undone, the tulle of her gown catching in the grass like it didn't want to let go either. Her eyes were red, wide, and wet with too much heartbreak and too little kindness. And Max, the boy who had never planned on being anyone's hero, stepped forward.

Her body hit his like a breaking wave. No words, no warning, just sobs. She folded into him, burying her face into his chest, her fingers clutching his jacket like she was trying to hold herself together through the fabric. Max held her tighter, arms wrapping around her with the kind of desperation he never knew he had.

She was trembling. Every breath she took shuddered against him like thunder through brittle glass.

Max never realized his heart would ache so much for a girl like her. But it did. And it scared him. Scared him to realize the lengths he'd go to protect this girl.

His hand moved gently to cradle the back of her head. He didn't rush her. He didn't hush her. He didn't try to fix it.

Not yet.

He just stayed.

Warm. Real.

Let them talk, Max thought. Let them scream her name like it was a curse. Let them cast her as the villain. If breaking free means being the monster, then I will be the monster with her.

Time lost all shape. There was no wedding. No gossip. No betrayal. It was just the sound of her sobs and the rise and fall of their breath. Eventually, her tears faded into sharp sniffles, then into silence. Her shoulders sagged like the storm had passed but left everything soaked.

Max stepped back slowly. He ran a hand across her cheek, brushing away mascara trails with a tenderness that made her throat tighten again.

"Stay here," he whispered. "I'll be right back."

She nodded faintly and sat on the bench. Her fingers toyed with the crumpled edge of her dress as Max disappeared.

He returned minutes later, bottle of water in one hand, a napkin in the other. He knelt in front of her.

She took the water. Unscrewed the cap with trembling fingers. Drank in cautious sips. Her throat burned. Her hands shook.

Max wiped her smudged lipstick and mascara with a thumb wrapped in napkin. He felt like his heart had already made a decision. He wasn't sure if it was love. But it was close. Too close. And he knew he could not let her walk away alone.

"This was the plan?" Max asked gently.

She looked down at the label on the bottle. "Disappear. Get on a flight. Let them blame me. At least Adrian gets to be the noble one. Alaya gets her fairytale. Everyone wins."

Max's chest tightened. He studied her. Really looked.

The girl with thorns tucked beneath her tongue. The girl who played decoy and shield, who gave people their happy ending while setting herself on fire behind the curtains.

He leaned in, exasperated. "You were going to vanish and let them turn you into the scandal headline of the year? Just like that?"

"It would've been easier," she mumbled.

"Easier for who?"

She didn't answer. He stared at her. A beat of silence passed.

Then Max muttered, "You absolute idiot."

He wiped her cheeks with his thumb, gentle but certain. He stood up from kneeling.

"Come on."

"Come on where?" she blinked.

"No more of that."

He grabbed her hand.

She tried to pull back. "Max, what are you—"

But he was already walking.

They entered the wedding place like rebels crashing a coronation.

Guests turned. Phones lifted. Mouths dropped.

Adrian's expression collapsed from confused to panicked in real time.

Alaya froze mid-step.

Someone in the back whispered, "Is that the bride?"

Max marched her to the front, her hand still in his, not letting go even when her grip loosened in shock.

The silence that fell was absolute.

The aisle stretched before them like a battlefield.

Max's parents looked like they had swallowed nails.

Alaya took a step forward. "Max, what is this?"

He ignored her. Instead, Max turned to face the crowd.

His voice was steady. Loud enough to silence murmurs.

"Let the second wedding begin." he spoke.

Gasps echoed like firecrackers.

Every camera in the room snapped at once.

But Althea only looked at him.

End of Chapter 20.