There was supposed to be someone else standing at the end of the hallway.

Her father.

The man who should have been adjusting his tie, pretending not to get emotional, and preparing to walk his daughter down the aisle.

Instead—

there was an empty space.

He wasn’t coming.

Whether it was pride.

Bitterness.

Disapproval.

Or simply a choice he would one day regret—

it didn’t matter anymore.

The ceremony was beginning in minutes.

Guests had already taken their seats.

Music drifted softly through Wayne Manor.

Bridesmaids hurried past with nervous smiles.

Inside the bridal suite, the silence felt much louder.

Bruce had been pulled away by a last-minute issue with reporters gathering outside the estate.

He was expected back any minute.

Everyone else was too busy making sure the wedding stayed on schedule.

No one seemed to know who would walk the bride down the aisle.

Damian stood in the doorway for a long moment.

His soon-to-be stepmother sat quietly in front of the mirror, her wedding dress spread around her like something out of a painting.

One chair beside her remained empty.

Reserved.

Waiting for a man who had already decided not to come.

Something about that made Damian’s chest tighten.

He knew what it felt like to wait for a parent.

To hope.

To be disappointed anyway.

Without another thought, he crossed the room.

He stopped beside the empty chair.

Looked at it once.

Then slowly pulled it away from the mirror and set it against the wall.

It wasn’t needed anymore.

When he turned back toward her, his expression was as composed as ever.

But his voice carried a quiet certainty.

“I’ll walk you.”

The words settled between them.

Simple.

Matter-of-fact.

As though there had never been another option.

Outside, the music changed.

The ceremony was ready to begin.

Damian offered his arm.

Not out of obligation.

Not because someone had asked him to.

But because no member of his family—

especially not the woman who had loved him like a son long before she had any title to him—

was going to walk toward a new chapter of her life feeling abandoned.

Not while he was there.

Not today.