The heavy doors slammed shut behind him, yet his presence lingered, like the echo of a storm unwilling to pass. A charged silence filled the room, thick with the remnants of what had just transpired. The priest cleared his throat hesitantly, attempting to restore the ceremony's rhythm, but the moment had already shifted—an invisible thread had been severed, something unspoken, something irreversible.

The priest's voice droned on, but she no longer truly heard him. The weight of her choice settled over her, firm yet reassuring. Doubt did not creep in, nor did regret. She had made her decision, and for the first time in a long while, she felt certain.