Tell me honestly—would you have stayed?

Watching them, warmth spread through my chest. The humiliation and anger didn’t disappear—but they no longer owned me. What mattered was respect over wealth, love over status.

Ethan turned to me.
“We can still get married. Not today. Not like this. But someday—on our terms. I don’t need their approval. I need you.”

I touched his cheek.
“Then we build our life from nothing. No conditions.”

He nodded.
“From nothing.”

My mother wiped her tears and smiled.
“Then you already have everything.”

We walked toward the beach—no photographers, no orchestra, no luxury. Just waves, sand beneath our feet, and laughter finally breaking through the tension.

“I didn’t lose anything today,” Ethan said. “I gained clarity.”

And I realized I had, too.

That night, we drove away in Ethan’s small car—not the family limo—and headed back to Fresno to stay with my mom. It felt honest. It felt right. And for the first time, our future truly felt like ours.

Sometimes, walking away from something extravagant is the only way to walk toward something real.

So tell me—
Would you have walked out like I did?
Or stayed and endured it?

I’d truly love to know what you would’ve done.