Chapter 14 - THE QUESTION HE WAS AFRAID TO ASK
Lucien proposed on a rainy evening in October.
Not at a gala.
Not in front of wealthy guests.
Not beneath a chandelier.
He took Evelyn to a small restaurant in Greenwich Village.
The kind of place with mismatched chairs and handwritten menus.
They ate pasta.
Shared dessert.
Argued about whether the restaurant's music was too loud.
Then Lucien took her for a walk.
Rain shimmered on the sidewalks.
They stopped beneath the awning of a closed bookstore.
Evelyn looked at him.
“Why are you nervous?”
Lucien frowned.
“I'm not.”
She smiled.
“Lucien.”
He exhaled.
“Fine.”
Then he reached into his coat.
Evelyn froze.
He held a small velvet box.
Inside was a simple diamond ring.
Elegant.
Understated.
Beautiful.
“Evelyn Vale,” he said.
His voice shook.
“I've spent most of my life believing power meant never needing anyone.”
She felt tears rise.
“Then you kissed me in a ballroom.”
She laughed through tears.
“And ruined that theory.”
He smiled.
“I can't promise I'll never make mistakes.”
“I know.”
“But I can promise I'll tell you the truth.”
She nodded.
“And I'll never make your choices for you.”
Her eyes filled.
Lucien took a breath.
“Will you marry me?”
Evelyn looked at him.
The man who had once frightened entire rooms.
The man who had inherited an empire built on fear.
The man who had chosen to change.
She smiled.
“Yes.”
Lucien closed his eyes.
Then laughed.
A real laugh.
He slipped the ring onto her finger.
Evelyn looked down.
“Beautiful.”
He kissed her.
Then whispered:
“You're not going back.”
She smiled.
“No.”
“Not to Adrian.”
She laughed.
“Not to the woman I was when I thought I had to beg someone to choose me.”
Lucien touched her cheek.
“Good.”
May you like
And beneath the October rain, they kissed again.
This time, because they wanted to.
