A Proposal After Midnight

“Can you take me to Red Crown?”

Alejandro turned to look at the woman beside him, one eyebrow lifting.

“I have no intention of going home tonight,” Evelyn continued. “Just for tonight, at least. I don't want to think about tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens.”

Alejandro let out a quiet sigh.

“Your wedding is tomorrow. You should be getting some rest.”

“There’s no wedding left for me to prepare for.”

Her answer sounded light, but the bitter smile accompanying it told a different story.

Alejandro didn't respond immediately. He turned his attention back to the road, considering the request from a woman who had confessed only minutes earlier that her own fiancé intended to humiliate her in front of an entire crowd.

“Are you sure you want to go to a club?”

Evelyn nodded.

“If I go home now, I'll spend the entire night thinking about what a fool I've been.”

Alejandro glanced at her once more before finally starting the engine.

“Fine. But don't expect me to drink with you.”

For the first time that night, Evelyn let out a small laugh.

“I never asked you to.”

Red Crown was one of the city's most exclusive nightclubs, situated in the heart of downtown. Golden lights illuminated its entrance, while the thumping beat of music reverberated from behind its thick walls.

The moment they arrived, Evelyn headed straight for the bar. Alejandro followed her inside, then stopped a few steps behind her.

“Order whatever you want,” he said. “But I'm leaving once I'm sure you've found a seat.”

Evelyn nodded without looking at him.

Alejandro watched for a moment as she settled into a seat at the far end of the bar. Once he was satisfied that she wasn't stranded in the middle of the crowd, he turned and walked away.

At least, that was what he wanted her to believe.

Rather than actually leaving, Alejandro settled into a lounge area not far from the bar. From there, he could keep an eye on Evelyn without making her feel as though she were being watched.

He didn't know much about her. Until tonight, all he had known was that she was Andrew's fiancée and a woman who would soon become part of the Romano family.

But after witnessing the look on Evelyn's face as she recounted Andrew's betrayal, Alejandro understood that this wasn't simply about a wedding that might never happen.

Something inside her had been broken.

And he found himself wondering whether it could ever be repaired.

--

Time slipped away unnoticed.

One glass became two, then three.

Evelyn kept drinking, hoping the alcohol would dull the memories of what she had witnessed. But every time she closed her eyes, the same image returned: Caroline in the bathtub with Andrew.

She could hear every cruel word all over again.

Daughter of a poor whore.

Useless maid.

Unworthy of becoming Mrs. Romano.

Evelyn tightened her grip around her glass.

All her life, she had tried to be a woman her father wouldn't be ashamed of. She had worked hard to prove that she wasn't a burden. She had accepted the responsibility of caring for Andrew because she believed that love meant staying when everyone else chose to leave.

And what had she received in return?

Betrayal.

“Disgusting,” she muttered.

She wasn't sure whether she was cursing Andrew, Caroline, or herself.

By the time Alejandro finally approached her, Evelyn was struggling to sit steadily on her stool. He pulled out the seat beside her and signaled to the bartender to cancel her next alcoholic drink.

Evelyn glanced at him through narrowed eyes.

“I thought you'd gone home.”

“I intended to.”

“Then why are you back?”

Alejandro settled into his seat, perfectly composed.

“Because I think you've had enough to drink tonight.”

Evelyn gave a short, humorless laugh.

“You don't even know me.”

“That's true.”

“Then why do you care?”

Alejandro studied her for a moment.

“Because I don't like watching someone destroy herself just to punish someone else.”

Evelyn's smile slowly faded.

She lowered her gaze, turning the empty glass between her fingers.

“Who do you think I'm punishing?”

Alejandro didn't answer immediately.

“I don't know. Andrew? Your stepsister? Or yourself?”

Evelyn fell silent.

The question irritated her precisely because she didn't have an answer.

After a moment, Alejandro spoke again.

“Did you love him that much?”

Evelyn lifted her head.

For a few seconds, she simply stared at him. Then a small smile appeared on her lips, one that seemed more like a mockery of her own foolishness than anything else.

“I used to think I did.”

She drew a long breath.

“A year ago, Andrew was involved in an accident. He lost the ability to walk, and the doctors couldn't say for certain whether he'd ever fully recover.”

She paused, as though trying to decide which parts of that painful memory she could bear to share.

“Caroline was his girlfriend at the time. But the moment she learned about his condition, she left him. She didn't want to waste her youth caring for a man who might never walk again.”

Alejandro listened without interrupting.

“I was asked to take her place. At first, I only wanted to help. I couldn't bear to see Andrew lose all hope. But as time went on, we grew closer. I fell in love with him, and he told me he felt the same way.”

Evelyn let out a soft, bitter laugh.

“I was there for every rehabilitation session. There were days when he became furious because he couldn't move his legs properly. There were nights when he refused to eat or speak to anyone. And I stayed.”

She swallowed hard.

“I kept telling him he would recover. That one day, he'd walk again, and we'd have the life we'd always dreamed of.”

Her fingers began to tremble around the glass.

“When he finally regained the ability to walk, I thought our struggles were over. I thought we could finally be happy.”

Her voice faltered on the last few words.

But she quickly lifted her chin, fighting back the tears gathering in her eyes.

“I don't regret taking care of him. I only regret believing that my sacrifices meant something to him.”

Alejandro remained silent for a long moment.

He didn't offer her pretty words of comfort or promise that everything would be all right. He knew some wounds couldn't be healed simply because someone said the right thing.

“You're not alone, Evelyn,” he finally said. “I've been through something similar myself.”

Evelyn turned toward him.

Alejandro slowly swirled the water in his glass before continuing.

“Two years ago, I got married. I thought I knew the woman I was marrying. It turned out I only knew the parts of herself she wanted me to see.”

He paused briefly.

“My ex-wife cheated on me with my business rival.”

There was no obvious anger in his voice. Somehow, that calmness made the confession feel even heavier.

Evelyn blinked several times, waiting for him to continue.

“After our divorce, rumors started spreading that I was infertile. People connected the failure of my marriage to my supposed inability to have children, as though they knew what had happened behind closed doors.”

Alejandro gave a slight shrug.

“At first, it bothered me. Now, I'm simply tired of people thinking they're entitled to dictate what I should do with my life.”

Evelyn studied him more closely.

He seemed so composed, but she could imagine how exhausting it must be to live among people who judged him without knowing the truth.

“Then why does your grandfather want you to get married?” she asked.

“Because he believes marriage and children are the best way to prove that the rumors are false.”

“And you disagree.”

“I don't need a wife just to silence other people's gossip.”

Evelyn nodded slowly.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The music continued to pound around them, and people laughed and chatted nearby. Yet their conversation seemed to have created a small pocket of stillness, separate from the chaos of the nightclub.

Then a thought crossed Evelyn's mind.

“But you also said you could give him a great-grandchild.”

Alejandro raised an eyebrow.

“You heard that conversation?”

Evelyn grimaced.

“Not intentionally. I was actually trying to leave before anyone caught me eavesdropping.”

“And yet you stayed long enough to hear the entire conversation?”

“I didn't mean to!”

For the first time that night, the corner of Alejandro's mouth lifted into a faint smile.

Evelyn studied him for a moment. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she drew a deep breath.

“But if you need a wife, and I need a husband who won't let your family walk all over me, perhaps we could help each other.”

Alejandro didn't answer.

He stared at her, making sure he had heard her correctly.

“Let me see if I understand this.” His voice was measured, though a hint of disbelief crept into it. “You've just been betrayed by your fiancé. Tomorrow is supposed to be your wedding day. And now you're proposing marriage to his uncle?”

Evelyn shrugged, although the movement came out a little awkwardly.

“When you put it that way, it does sound crazy.”

“That's because it is crazy, Evelyn.”

“Then are you saying no?”

Alejandro lifted his glass of water, took a small sip, and set it back on the counter.

“I haven't decided yet.”