Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 253

Music Recommendation: Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls.

.......

The band began to fade out the song, their instruments humming into silence. Then, unexpectedly, a soft chime from the mic echoed through the estate.

Celeste turned instinctively.

Dominic was walking towards the large flower-trimmed stage at the far end of the room. The guests murmured, a gentle wave of surprise sweeping across them. He hadn’t planned another performance.

He stopped at the stairs of the stage, his suit perfectly cut, black tie undone just enough to hint that he was done pretending this was a formal night. His jaw was tight, but his eyes were fixed entirely on her.

Celeste turned slowly, the hem of her gown catching the soft lights, her hand unconsciously tightening around Amara’s.

"Dominic?" she whispered, breath catching.

Amara smiled faintly, wiping her cheek as she leaned close to Celeste’s ear. "Go to him."

Celeste turned, hesitating for only a heartbeat before stepping back, facing the stage now. Her pulse kicked up, an uneven rhythm beneath her ribs.

Dominic climbed the short steps onto the stage, a quiet determination in the way he moved. He adjusted the mic stand with his left hand, and the small band members exchanged a confused glance, until Dominic lifted his hand slightly, a small, and confident gesture.

"No music," he said softly. "Just... me."

He couldn’t remember the last time he even hummed a tone to himself.

The crowd went utterly still.

Celeste’s hand flew to her mouth.

He looked at her again. "There’s something I wanted to say differently tonight."

His voice was steady, deep, and quiet, but there was something in it that already made her heart ache.

Then he took a small breath, and his fingers brushed against the mic as he began. "And I’d give up forever to touch you..."

A collective gasp rippled through the guests. Even Amara’s hand flew to her chest, and her mouth fell open.

Dominic’s voice was beyond perfect. Celeste didn’t know what she was expecting, but she never expected him to sound this good.

"Cause I know that you feel me somehow..."

Celeste froze. Her vision blurred instantly.

The first time she had ever heard Iris was years ago, on one of those nights she’d sat alone in the car, pretending not to cry.

And now he was singing it. For her. In front of everyone.

Her knees felt weak.

Dominic’s eyes stayed locked on hers as he continued. "You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be..."

He paused briefly, swallowing hard. His voice cracked a little, and it only made the moment heavier, realer. "And I don’t want to go home right now."

Celeste’s chest tightened. Her tears came silently, sliding down her cheeks as the guests watched in complete awe.

Ruby, sweet, small Ruby, was standing with a little bouquet in her hand, tears streaming down her round face. She was clinging to Ronan’s side, whispering softly, "He loves her so much."

Amara nodded, eyes glistening. "He really does."

Dominic kept singing, his thumb brushing the edge of the mic stand, his other hand resting lightly on his chest. Every word seemed to tear something open and heal it all at once.

"And all I can taste is this moment..."

"And all I can breathe is your life..."

"’Cause sooner or later it’s over..." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I just don’t want to miss you tonight..."

The lights dimmed a little more, until there was nothing but him and her and the soft glow that surrounded them.

Celeste’s hand trembled as she pressed it against her heart. She could feel the babies move faintly inside her belly, as if even they were aware that something divine was unfolding.

When the song reached the chorus, Dominic’s voice rose, and she gasped at the strength of his breath control.

"And I don’t want the world to see me..."

"’Cause I don’t think that they’d understand..."

"When everything’s made to be broken...

"

"I just want you to know who I am

The air hung still after his last line, the echo of his voice trembling through the chandeliers and the veins of every heart in the room.

"I just want you to know who I am..."

The final note finally lingered, soft as breath, before it dissolved into the quiet hum of crickets beyond the glass doors. For a full heartbeat, no one moved. Then, the applause never came. No one dared disturb what had just happened.

What just happened was beyond a confession.

Celeste’s face was streaked with tears, her lips trembling as she took one uncertain step forward. Her world had narrowed until there was only him, the man who had once been her every scar and every shelter, standing there under a halo of gold light.

Dominic lowered the mic, his throat bobbing as he tried to speak but his voice broke, rough from holding too much in. He met her halfway when she moved again, his hands coming up to cup her face.

For a second, they just stared, two people who had walked through storms and still found their way back to the same quiet harbor.

"You weren’t supposed to do that," Celeste whispered, laughing through the tears.

"I wasn’t supposed to love you this much either," Dominic murmured back, his forehead pressing to hers. "But here we are."

A small, emotional murmur rippled through the crowd, but Amara turned away, blinking fast. Ronan pulled Ruby close, whispering something into her hair. The band members stood frozen, instruments forgotten.

Dominic brushed a tear from Celeste’s cheek with his thumb.

Her hand slipped to his chest, feeling the steady drum beneath. "Dominic..."

He smiled. "You are my forever, Celeste."

The crowd finally exhaled when he kissed her.

The fireflies outside flared brighter. The world itself decided to applaud in silence.

When they finally parted, Celeste pressed her forehead to his again, whispering, "You didn’t have to prove anything."

"I didn’t," Dominic said softly. "I just needed you to know every word I never said, and every time I looked at you and couldn’t speak, it’s all right there. In that song."

Celeste laughed wetly, her tears catching the soft amber light. "You’ll make me cry again."

He smirked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Then I’ll just have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

She looked at him and smiled through everything trembling inside her. "You already have."

And then the guests finally began to clap.

Amara caught Celeste’s eyes across the room, her own lips curving with quiet pride. Ruby cheered and threw a handful of rose petals she’d been clutching all night.

Dominic took Celeste’s hand, kissed it gently, and whispered against her knuckles, "Let’s go home, Mrs. Monroe-Cross."

Celeste’s heart fluttered at the sound of it.