Chapter 9 - A Father's VowOn Christmas Eve, the expansive three-story penthouse overlooking Lake Michigan was illuminated by the warm glow of a twenty-foot pine tree decorated with silver stars, handmade paper snowflakes, and hundreds of twinkling fairy lights.

In the spacious, sunlit kitchen, Luca stood with flour smeared across his cheek, attempting to roll out gingerbread cookie dough while Wren giggled hysterically at his misshapen reindeer cookies.
“Daddy, that doesn’t look like a reindeer! It looks like a dinosaur!” Wren laughed, holding up a lopsided cookie cutter.
“Hey, that is an aerodynamic, high-performance reindeer designed by corporate engineers,” Luca defended with a wide grin, gently booping Wren’s nose with a flour-covered thumb.
Maren stood by the kitchen island, holding two mugs of spiced apple cider, watching the two of them with a heart so full it felt like it might burst. The eight years of loneliness, poverty, and anxiety had melted away like spring snow under the sun of Luca’s unwavering devotion.
After the cookies were placed in the oven, Wren curled up on the oversized sectional sofa, exhausted from a day of ice skating at Millennium Park. Within minutes, she fell fast asleep, clutching her silver medal that Luca had restored and placed on a brand-new, indestructible braided platinum chain.
Luca walked over to Maren, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and resting his chin gently on her shoulder.
“What are you thinking about, my love?” Luca murmured, his voice rich and deep.
Maren turned in his arms, resting her hands against his chest. “I was thinking about how terrified I was to call you three months ago. I was so afraid you wouldn’t believe me.”
Luca’s eyes softened with infinite tenderness. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet jeweler’s box.
He knelt before her on the hardwood floor, beneath the soft glow of the Christmas tree.
“Eight years ago, I let other people dictate my life, Maren,” Luca spoke, his voice steady with profound conviction. “I spent eight years in an empty palace, thinking I had everything, while the only two things that mattered were out in the world without me. I promise you that for every single day I have left on this earth, you and Wren will never be second to anything. Will you marry me, Maren?”
He popped open the box, revealing a flawless, brilliant-cut sapphire surrounded by a halo of diamonds—the exact shade of the ocean on the day they first met.
May you like
Maren’s eyes welled with tears of pure happiness. “Yes, Luca. A thousand times, yes.”
Luca slid the ring onto her finger, rose to his feet, and pulled her into a passionate, breathtaking kiss as the soft winter snow fell silently outside the glass.