4

lily's POV

After Ethan left, i. let out a breath i hadn't even realized I'd been holding.

What the heck.

What the heck.

What the heck.

i grabbed her phone and called Diana.

*"Girl, come home. We need to talk. Bring Ava. I'm ordering pizza."*

i didn't wait for a reply i just hung up and placed an order for three, hands moving on autopilot.

Time crawled.

When the doorbell finally rang, she practically jogged to the door and peeked through the peephole.

Diana.

i opened it and immediately regretted standing so close.

*"AUNT LILY!"* Ava launched herself at me

*"Oof. Hello to you too,"* i laughed, scooping her up. *"Missed you, babyyy."*

*"I missed you more,"* Ava declared seriously, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck.

Diana stood there, hands on her hips. *"Wow. Great. I see how it is."*

Ignored. Again.

*"You know what happened?"* Ava whispered dramatically, fiddling with the buttons of my shirt. *"Mommy didn't buy ice cream."*

*"That's unacceptable,"* i gasped. *"I'll scold her."*

Ava nodded solemnly. *"Good."*

*"But hey,"* Lily added, lowering her voice like she was sharing state secrets, *"pizza is coming."*

Ava's eyes lit up just as the doorbell rang again.

*"PIZZAAA!"*

The delivery guy barely had time to say hello before Ava snatched the bag and sprinted to the sofa, already digging into her little box.

I shut the door and turned to Diana, who was watching her a little too closely.

*"What's wrong?"* Diana asked. *"You don't bribe my child with carbs unless something's very wrong."*

*"Come sit."*

---

**Lily's POV**

We settled on the couch and Diana grabbed her pizza.

*"Someone proposed to me."*

Her eyes widened.

*"WAIT — WHO?! YOU'RE DATING SOMEONE?!"*

*"No. I'm not dating anyone."*

*"Girl, WHO?"*

*"Ethan sir."*

Blank stare.

Blink.

Blink blink.

*"The HELL?"* she screeched.

*"Keep your voice down! You'll scare Ava,"* I hissed.

*"How do you expect me to keep my voice down? That man proposed to you. I thought he was married to his work."*

*"It wasn't romantic!"* I groaned, covering my face. *"It was practical. Logical. Stupid. Cold. Very him."*

Diana plopped beside me, clutching my arm. *"Explain. Every detail. Right now. If you miss one comma, I'll slap you."*

I told her everything.

From the text.

To him showing up.

To the marriage talk.

To the knife falling at the most dramatic possible moment.

*"Okay,"* Diana exhaled, rubbing her temples. *"Let me get this straight. He wants to marry you because… it's convenient? Because you're quiet? Because you don't annoy him? And you won't disrupt his… ecosystem?"*

*"Pretty much."*

She gave me a look so unimpressed it could flatten buildings.

*"And you're ACTUALLY considering it?"*

I sighed. *"Diana… I don't know. I'm twenty-six. I'm not dating anyone. I barely talk to anyone. He's… familiar. Predictable. Safe."*

*"Safe?"* she raised a brow. *"Says the girl who kept a knife in her hoodie just in case."*

*"To be fair,"* I muttered, *"that was just survival instinct."*

She leaned back, chewing on her pizza.

*"Do you like him?"*

*"I don't… dislike him,"* I said quietly. *"I'm used to him. He's a routine. A constant."*

Diana stared at me with soft, concerned eyes.

*"Marriage isn't a routine, Lily."*

*"I know. That's why I'm asking you. Because you're the best person to give me advice on this."*

*"Well,"* she continued gently, *"he respects you. In his own… weird, grumpy, socially-inept way."*

*"He does,"* I whispered.

*"And he won't hurt you. He's not that kind of man."*

*"He won't,"* I agreed.

Diana took my hands.

*"Then think carefully. Think about whether you can live with this man every single day. His moods. His silence. His ego. I can't say yes or no because I don't know him that well. I'm not the one who's going to be waking up next to him every morning. You've worked with him for three years. You know him better than anyone."*

*"Well, his parents are really sweet. I've had lunch with them before. And he said his family likes me."*

*"And? Everybody is sweet to their guests. Are you marrying him or his family?"*

*"Would you have married him?"* I asked.

*"Probably not. You guys don't even particularly like each other. But then again — who am I to say? I'm not exactly the model of a happily married woman. It's either going to be heaven or hell. No in between."*

*"Sleep on it,"* she said finally. *"Tell him tomorrow."*

*"I will."*

*"And Lily?"*

*"Hmm?"*

She sighed dramatically.

*"If you marry him, tell him your best friend wants a very generous wedding gift for all the emotional labor she's about to provide."*

I threw a cushion at her.

But in the pit of my stomach, the feeling was still there.

Everything could change because of my decision.

---

**Ethan's POV**

The moment I stepped into the house, I was ambushed.

My mother, Ryan, and Sierra swarmed me like I'd just returned from war.

*"Did she say yes?"*

*"What did she say?"*

*"You're marrying her, right?"*

*"When do we meet her family?"*

*"Should we start looking at dates?"*

*"Stop,"* I snapped, holding up a hand. *"Please. She said she'll think about it."*

Their faces fell in unison.

*"That's it?"* Ryan frowned. *"No dramatic reaction? No fainting? No tears?"*

My mother folded her arms, visibly disappointed. *"She'll say yes."*

*"She might,"* I said. Or she might not. I didn't add that part out loud.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. I watched a football game without actually watching it. Checked stock updates I already knew by heart. Replied to emails that could've waited until Monday. Every now and then, my mind drifted.

*What if she says no?*

Not because I wanted her to say yes — but because I didn't want to go through the headache of finding myself a bride. Or worse, having extended family pressure me into meeting someone I'd have to tolerate for the rest of my life.

Most of all, I didn't want her to quit.

That would be… inconvenient. I'd finally found a good assistant. I was used to her. She'd quit her job when I retired and my future successor took over. That was the plan. That had always been the plan.

I shut the thought down and went to bed.

---

**Lily's POV**

I spent the entire day thinking.

And overthinking.

And then thinking again.

I made a pros and cons list.

I Googled things I already knew.

I asked ChatGPT like it had authority over my life choices.

I flipped a coin. Three times. Best of three.

I paced my apartment. Sat down. Got up again. Stared at the wall like it would answer me back.

Marriage.

Ethan.

Logic over emotion.

I imagined my life with him. Quiet mornings, structured days, predictable nights. No chaos. No romance. No surprises.

Safe.

But was safe enough?

I am very independent. I've been on my own since I was young. I know how to survive. I know how to take care of myself. I've done it again and again, without anyone holding my hand.

But love?

Deep down, somewhere I don't like admitting — I wanted that too. To be loved. To be chosen. To be cherished at least once in this lifetime.

With Ethan sir… that was never on the table.

He wasn't marrying me because he wanted *me*. He wanted peace. Convenience. A drama-free life so he could bury himself in work and silence his family. In his head, I was like him — no-nonsense, efficient, emotionally economical.

It would be convenient for me too.

Safe. Predictable. Stable.

But where did love fit into all this?

He wasn't a man with time or energy for emotions. He had made that very clear. He'd even said it himself — *if we fall in love, we'll go with the flow.*

*If.*

As if love was some optional feature you might accidentally unlock.

And realistically? He wasn't going to fall for me. Men like him didn't fall — they calculated.

So why did he have to come to my house? Why did he have to drag this proposal into my quiet, peaceful Sunday?

Life was manageable.

Then he showed up with his absurd, logical, emotionally bankrupt offer and suddenly, everything felt heavy.

I didn't ask for this.

And yet… here I was, unable to stop thinking about it.

By evening, my brain felt completely fried.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, the decision sitting heavy in my chest.

Tomorrow, I'd have to give him an answer.

And whatever I chose… there was no undo button.