Chapter 13 - THE PROPOSAL BESIDE THE BROKEN WATCH
Dante proposed two years later.
Not at the Moretti estate.
Not in a ballroom.
Not beneath chandeliers.
He proposed in Emily's kitchen.
It was a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Lily was doing homework at the table.
Emily was making pasta.
Dante stood beside the counter holding a small velvet box.
“Emily.”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
He swallowed.
“I've been trying to find the right moment.”
She smiled.
“For what?”
He opened the box.
Inside was a simple diamond ring.
Emily stared.
Dante lowered himself onto one knee.
“I can't change what happened to Aaron.”
His voice trembled.
“And I can't erase the mistakes I made.”
Emily's eyes filled.
“But I can promise to spend the rest of my life being honest with you.”
He smiled.
“Will you marry me?”
Emily began crying.
“Yes.”
Lily screamed.
“I KNEW IT!”
Dante laughed.
Emily wrapped her arms around him.
And for the first time, the kitchen felt like the beginning of something new.
May you like
Not because the past had disappeared.
But because they had finally learned how to carry it without letting it destroy the future.
