On the other side of the room, Cali was talking to one of the youngest students, a shy girl named Emma.
"Are you going to keep teaching?" Emma asked hopefully.
"I am," Cali assured her. "No matter what happens, I'll always be here."
"Even if you marry a billionaire?"
Cali laughed. "Even if I marry a billionaire. Because dancing isn't about money; it's about passion, and I'll never give that up."
The evening went on with more dancing, more laughter, and plenty of stories being shared. Henry even tried to give a speech, but froze halfway through and asked Cali to finish it for him.
"I just want to thank all of you," Cali said, holding Henry's hand, "for believing in us, for giving us a second chance, and for reminding me that no matter how many times we fall, we can always get back up and dance again."
The room applauded, moved.
When the party finally started to wind down, it was past midnight. Henry and Cali stayed behind in the empty hall sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall.
"So, now we're really getting married," Cali said, still processing it.
"Looks like it," Henry replied with a smile. "Are you nervous?"
"A little. You?"
"Terrified."
Cali laughed. "At least you're honest."
They were quiet for a moment, just enjoying each other's company.
"Cali," Henry said suddenly, "there's something I haven't told you."
She turned to him, alert. "What is it?"
"Your father, Richard Palmer... he reached out to me last week."
Cali tensed. "What did he want?"
"To apologize for the scandal, the lie about the bet. He said he was trying to protect you, just in the wrong way."
"And you believed him?"
Henry shrugged. "I'm not sure, but he asked if he could be at the wedding. He said he wants a chance to make things right."
Cali closed her eyes, thinking it over. "And what did you say?"
"That it's your decision, not mine."
She was quiet for a long moment, then she sighed. "I don't know if I'm ready to forgive him, but maybe someday. Maybe at the wedding, he can be there—from a distance."
Henry nodded. "Whatever you want. I support you."
Cali rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for telling me."
"Always," he promised.
They stayed there until almost 2:00 in the morning, talking about the future, about their plans, about the life they were going to build together. And when they finally got up to leave, Cali looked around the hall one last time.
"This is where it all started," she whispered.
"And this is where everything begins again," Henry added, taking her hand.
They walked out of the Metropolitan Palace hand in hand, ready for the next chapter in their lives. But before they could leave completely, Cali stopped.
"Henry?"
"Yes?"
"You do know you'll have to plan an entire wedding now, right? Decorations, food, guests..."
Henry went pale. "I hadn't thought of that."
Cali laughed. "Relax, I'll help. But only if you promise not to hire anyone to investigate the caterers."
"I promise," he said, laughing, too.
The months that followed were a whirlwind of organized chaos. Cali discovered that planning a wedding was harder than choreographing an entire show: there were flowers, invitations, the menu, music, and a million other decisions she never imagined she'd have to make. Henry tried to help, but his suggestions usually made things more complicated.
"How about hiring five different orchestras?" he suggested one afternoon while they were reviewing options.
Cali looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Henry, this is a wedding, not a music festival."
"But it would be impressive."
"It would be ridiculous. One orchestra, just one."
He sighed, defeated. "All right, you're the boss."
Dorothy became the unofficial official wedding planner: she showed up at Cali's apartment almost every day with new ideas, cake samples, and very strong opinions about everything.
"This dress is lovely, but you need one with more sparkle," she said, showing pictures.
"Dorothy, I don't want to look like a disco ball," Cali protested.
"You won't, you'll look like a princess."