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Sera woke, tucked beneath his arms, warm and safe. Her head rested on his chest, allowing her to feel the quiet rise and fall of his breathing beneath her cheek. She smiled before her eyes even opened. The first thing that caught her gaze was their joined hands lying on his stomach. He had laced their fingers together while she slept. Her smile deepened as she noticed the sparkling ring on her finger. But that wasn'tthe only reason for her smile. Even in sleep, he was holding onto her hand with a firm grip. For a fearsome mafia boss, he was almost embarrassingly clingy. She squeezed his hand and tilted her head up to look at him. He was still asleep, his long, dense lashes resting against his cheeks. He looked peaceful, unguarded. After admiring him for a long moment, she tore her gaze away from him and looked up at the sky through the glass ceiling. The northern lights had disappeared along with the darkness. She tried to pull her hand free, but he resisted. When Sera tried again,
"What?" Nate questioned, sure he had misheard. Sera didn’t look away as she repeated softly, "I’ll marry you." The words had felt heavy on her tongue. Her heart pounding wild against her ribs. It wasn't a confession. It was a commitment. Lifelong commitment. "But..""Have you changed your mind now? You don't wnat to marry me?" she aksed, searching his eyes. "No," he exclaimed. "I men....YES...I want to marry you. I just...you refused when I popped the question only some time ago.." he reminded her, confused. Why did she reject him then?She shrugged. "I've seen you making efforts. And as much as I hate to admit it.......You've started to grow on me. I won't say I am in love with you, Nate..." she said the last part, causing his joy to visibly dim. The woman lowered her gaze. "I am still healing..... still putting my pieces together" She swallowed and lifted her lashs to meet his eyes. "But I get jealous when other women look at you. I like having my meals with you..... talking abo
"What are you doing?" she murmured, totally stunned. Nate swallowed dry. Walking over embers felt easier than this. He was sweating bullets in the chilly night. "I know for a long time, I've loved you the wrong way. I broke more than I fixed. I made you cry when I should have made you smile the most..." he said, the cold biting into his knees. "And I am not asking you to forget what I’ve done," he urged earnestly. "I am asking you to let me spend the rest of my life making it right. To let me be better...for you, with you." Sera gazed at him, totally thrown off by the unexpected proposal. "Nate.."Nate exhaled shakily, his grip tightening around the small velvet box before he slowly closed it. He should have known. "You don’t have to finish that sentence," he said quietly. "I already hear it in your voice." The hesitation said it all. He looked down at the ice beneath his knees, jaw clenched. He wasn't mad at her but at himself. His past sins were never going to let him be happ
Violet stared ahead with her eyes wide open as the car rolled to a stop before a majestic castle. Surprised and confused, she glanced over at him. Nate smiled faintly but decided to tease her a little more. Instead of giving her the answer she sought, he reached into the back and retrieved a coat. "Put it on. It's cold outside," he instructed, handing her the coat. Sera wore it. It smelled of him. He then simply opened the door and climbed out. Sera brought her gaze back to the castle. Sera couldn't see the top of the castle from the windshield biut she could tell it must have clouds swirling around it.The door on her side was pulled open, and a hand appeared in her line of sight, waiting patiently for her to take it. She slipped her hand in his and stepped out. Nate was right. It was really cold outside. She couldn't see much as it was night, but she could see silhouettes of mountain peaks in the distance. "Shall we?' he asked, tugging lightly at her hand. Her eye sdrifted to him
"I... want to take you somewhere tonight," Nate said hesitantly. Sera noticed how he had kept his gaze firmly on the wall behind her, and the nervous energy radiating off him was impossible to miss. "Are you talking to the wall or me?" she asked, genuinely confused. It was then that Nate shifted his gaze to her, brows pulling into a subtle frown. "You, of course. why would I talk to a wall?" he replied, and looked away as if looking into her eyes was too intimidating. Sera studied him carefully. The way he avoided her eyes, the slight tremor in his voice."What’s wrong?" she asked softly, tilting her head."What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely puzzled."You look… tense," she pointed out, her voice gentle and full of concern. "Tense?" he repeated, uncertainty flickering across his features. "No… I am not tense," he added, masking his expression. Sera wasn’t convinced. She could see the subtle signs, yet she didn’t press the matter. Instead, she circled back to the original topic
"So you liked him?" Killian questioned, a hint of surprise in his voice. Their daughter had finally shown interest in a guy. Ara was just as taken aback, if not more. "Yeah. I mean, he was nice. Every inch a gentleman," Gigi gushed overly, assured that the rejection would come from the other side. She wouldn't be the villain this time; he would be. Killian and Ara shared a glance. "So you're saying...You can marry him?" Ara asked, still in disbelief. "I don't think he will, though," Gigi replied, dodging her question. "He didn't seem very interested," she added. "Could be Carlos forced him to the meeting," Killian murmured, eyes locked with Ara. Ara nodded. Killian then shifted his gaze to Gigi. "If he isn't interested, then there is no point pushing it," he stated. Inside, Gigi was practically dancing with joy, though outwardly she kept a somber expression."Seems like my fate. I finally liked someone, and he is not interested," she sighed as if disappointed, and then met her mo







