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While getting ready for my niece\u2019s christening, I met a man who was unlike anyone I had ever met. He was gentle, considerate, and had a charm that made him impossible to dislike. However, there was a decision he had made long before our paths crossed, one that created a divide between us. I never expected the way things would unfold\u2014or how deeply it would impact me.\n Sarah\u2019s home was in complete disarray\u2014her daughter\u2019s christening was approaching, and she was determined to make everything flawless. I was enjoying a quiet cup of coffee in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.\n That\u2019s when he walked in.\n Tall, poised, and strikingly handsome. Not just in appearance, but in the grace of his movements, the warmth that radiated from his smile, and the quiet strength in his presence.\n At that moment, I knew I had to have him.\n Then Sarah introduced him: “Claire, this is Father Nathan. He’ll be performing Ellie\u2019s christening.”\n My heart dropped. My cheeks flushed. But as for my curiosity? That only deepened.\n I found reasons to talk to him, attended his services, hung on to every word he spoke.\n And then, one day\u2026 I just couldn’t hold back anymore.\n We were sitting on a park bench, the warmth of the sun on my skin. Talking to Nathan felt effortless, like it was meant to be.\n \u201cYou can\u2019t get married. What would you do if you started liking someone?\u201d I asked, glancing at him.\n He gave me a teasing smile. \u201cI\u2019d invite her to my services, chat with her, agree to christen her niece, and hope she leaves me alone.\u201d\n His gaze met mine, and my heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, I kissed him.\n For a brief moment, he kissed me back, warm and certain. But then, abruptly, he pulled away, his face drained of color.\n \u201cNo, this is wrong,\u201d he whispered. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d He stood up and walked off.\n I sat there, motionless, watching him walk away, feeling as if I had just lost something I never truly had.\n The following morning, my phone rang early. Sarah\u2019s voice trembled through the line.\n \u201cClaire, he backed out! Nathan won\u2019t do the christening. It\u2019s tomorrow! What am I supposed to do?\u201d\n After hanging up, I rushed to the church. Nathan wasn\u2019t there. No one knew where he had gone.\n That evening, a knock at my door startled me. When I opened it, I froze. Nathan was standing there, his face unreadable.\n I crossed my arms, my tone firm. \u201cSarah\u2019s in a panic. You need to do the christening.\u201d\n Nathan let out a long sigh. \u201cI already agreed. My conscience won\u2019t let me refuse.\u201d\n A wave of relief washed over me. \u201cGood. But why are you here?\u201d\n He ran a hand through his hair, his gaze conflicted. \u201cI\u2019ve given up so much for the life I have. Years of training, sacrifice, purpose. Then you came along. I can\u2019t stop thinking about you. I pray, I work, I study, and still, it\u2019s you. It should be Him.\u201d\n \u201cForget it,\u201d Nathan muttered, his resolve cracking. Before I could react, he pulled me toward him and kissed me.\n I didn\u2019t hesitate to kiss him back.\n By morning, I lay next to him, feeling the warmth of his presence, but my mind was spinning.\n “I can’t believe you actually went through with this,” I whispered, barely able to speak.\n Nathan sat up, rubbing his face in disbelief. “I can\u2019t either.”\n We both understood the weight of the situation.\n It was the day of the christening. Nathan got dressed quickly, avoiding my gaze. Then he left without saying another word.\n I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the empty spot where he had been. My heart felt like it was sinking, but I forced the feeling to stay down.\n The ceremony went off without a hitch.\n The tension between us was palpable, filled with so many things left unsaid. I knew this was the end. The moment I had been afraid of.\n I sighed and spoke softly, “It\u2019s not going to be me, is it?” My voice shook. “It\u2019s going to be Him.”\n Finally, he looked at me. “Yeah.”\n A bitter laugh escaped me. My eyes welled up. “You know what\u2019s the saddest part of all this? I love you.”\n Nathan pulled me into a tight embrace, holding me for a moment longer before gently releasing me.\n “This won\u2019t last forever,” he murmured.\n I forced a smile. “So\u2026 I’ll see you at mass on Sunday?”\n Nathan gave a sad chuckle. “Yeah, but honestly? You’re banned from my services for life.”\n He turned to leave, then stopped and looked back.\n “I love you too.”\n And with that, he walked away.\n That was the last time I ever saw him.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While getting ready for my niece\u2019s christening, I met a man who was unlike anyone I had ever met. He was gentle, considerate, and had a charm that made him impossible to dislike. However, there was a decision he had made long before our paths crossed, one that created a divide between us. I never …\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":97662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97667,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97661\/revisions\/97667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/01%5C/7794833c7e0cfdcfb6b743156358e6d414935292ccdbfed865a0f28a69a63060.webp%5C%22 "\\"\\"")
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