Chapter 14 - THE PROPOSAL AT 3:07
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Two years after the diner incident, Roman invited Narelli to the rooftop garden of his Tribeca building.
It was late October.
The air was cool.
The Hudson shimmered beneath the city lights.
Narelli arrived wearing a cream coat.
Roman stood beside a small table.
Two cups of coffee waited.
She smiled.
“Working late?”
“Not tonight.”
He handed her a cup.
She took a sip.
Then looked at him.
“Why are you nervous?”
Roman laughed.
“Am I that obvious?”
“To me.”
He took her hand.
“Do you remember the night the police called me?”
Narelli's expression softened.
“Of course.”
“Three-oh-seven in the morning.”
She nodded.
“The worst night of my life.”
Roman looked at her.
“One of the worst nights of mine too.”
He took a breath.
“But it changed everything.”
Narelli watched him.
“You found Julian.”
“Yes.”
“You exposed the people who betrayed you.”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“And I found something I didn't know I was missing.”
He reached into his coat.
Narelli's eyes widened.
“Roman.”
He knelt.
“I spent most of my life believing that trust was a liability.”
His voice trembled.
“I thought if I controlled enough things, nothing could hurt me.”
He looked into her eyes.
“Then you sat in a jail cell and called me because you believed I would come.”
Narelli began crying.
“You trusted me before I understood how much that meant.”
He opened a small velvet box.
Inside was a diamond ring.
“Narelli Flores, I don't want to control your future.”
His voice softened.
“I want to be invited into it.”
He swallowed.
“Will you marry me?”
Narelli covered her mouth.
Then laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
Roman closed his eyes.
For a moment, he looked overwhelmed.
Then he stood and embraced her.
May you like
She kissed him.
And somewhere beneath them, the city continued moving, unaware that the man who once believed control was everything had finally learned to ask for what mattered most.
