Chapter 35: The Longest Mile

 

One Year Later.

The Sterling Estate had changed. The cold, grey walls were now covered in climbing ivy. The once-barren patch of dirt was now a lush, vibrant garden filled with white jasmine and red roses. A koi pond bubbled gently in the corner, just as Harper had planned.

But Harper wasn't looking at the flowers. She was pacing in the living room, checking her watch. "Liam, where is he?"

Liam sat on the sofa, eating an apple. "Relax, sister-in-law. He's probably in a meeting. Being CEO is hard work."

"He's been 'in a meeting' every night for the past month," Harper frowned. "He comes home late, smells like sweat and disinfectant, and goes straight to sleep. Do you think..." Her voice trembled. "Do you think his legs are getting worse? Is he hiding a relapse from me?"

Liam choked on his apple. "Uh... no. Definitely not. He's fine. Super fine." Liam was a terrible liar. He avoided her eyes.

Harper’s heart sank. She knew it. Sebastian was proud. If his condition had deteriorated, he would hide it to protect her feelings.

"I'm going to the company," Harper grabbed her keys.

"Wait!" Liam jumped up. "You can't go! He's... uh... he's planning a surprise merger! Top secret!"

"I don't care about mergers," Harper said stubbornly. "I care about his legs."

Just then, the lights in the living room dimmed. The French doors leading to the garden slowly opened automatically.

Soft piano music floated in from outside. It was Rachmaninoff. But not the angry, thundering prelude he played at the engagement party. It was Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The 18th Variation. Romantic. Soaring. Dreamy.

Harper stopped. "What..."

"Go," Liam grinned, pushing her toward the door. "Your 'meeting' is waiting."

---

[The Garden]

Harper walked out onto the patio. Her breath hitched.

The garden was illuminated by thousands of fairy lights, draped over the trees and the swing like falling stars. The path was lined with candles. And at the end of the path, under the trellis covered in blooming roses, stood... a wheelchair.

Sebastian sat there. He was wearing the same midnight blue suit he wore to the engagement party. He looked devastatingly handsome, his eyes locked on her.

Harper walked down the candlelit path, her heart pounding. "Sebastian? What is all this?"

She reached him. She noticed he was sweating slightly, his hands gripping the armrests. Was he in pain?

"Harper," Sebastian said, his voice husky. "Do you remember what I promised you a year ago?"

Harper blinked. "That you would feed me forever?"

Sebastian chuckled nervously. "No. The other promise." He took a deep breath. His expression turned solemn and determined.

"I promised... that I wouldn't ask you the question until I could do it properly."

Harper’s eyes widened. "Sebastian, you don't have to..."

"I do."

Sebastian moved his hands to the armrests. He didn't use the momentum of the chair. He didn't ask for her help. He pushed.

His arms shook. The veins in his neck stood out. Slowly, inch by inch, he lifted his body.

Harper instinctively reached out to support him. "Sebastian!"

"No," he stopped her with a look. "Let me."

He gritted his teeth. He channeled every ounce of strength he had built over 365 days of grueling, secret rehab sessions. Every fall, every bruise, every scream in the middle of the night—it was all for this.

He straightened his legs. He locked his knees. He let go of the armrests.

He stood.

Tall. Proud. Unassisted. The moonlight cast his long shadow over the grass.

Harper covered her mouth with both hands, tears streaming down her face instantly. He was standing. He was really standing.

But he wasn't done. "Stay there," he whispered.

He took a step. It was shaky. It was imperfect. But it was a step.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

He walked the three meters between them. It was the longest, hardest walk of his life. He stopped right in front of her. For the first time since she met him, she had to look up to see his eyes. He was so tall. So broad.

"Hi," he smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"Hi," Harper sobbed, laughing through her tears. "You tall idiot. You've been practicing in secret?"

"I wanted to surprise you," Sebastian admitted. "Liam almost spilled the secret ten times."

He took a deep, shaky breath. "Standing up is hard," he said softly. "But kneeling... kneeling is harder."

Harper gasped. "Don't! Your knees..."

Sebastian ignored her protest. With agonizing slowness, controlling every muscle fiber, he lowered himself onto one knee. He winced slightly as his knee touched the grass, but his gaze never wavered.

He pulled out a ring box. It wasn't the iron key this time. Inside sat a massive, flawless Pink Diamond. Rare. Precious. Just like her.

"Harper Evans," Sebastian said, his voice trembling with emotion. "When everyone saw a cripple, you saw a man." "When everyone saw a monster, you saw a Golden Cat." "You didn't just fix my legs. You fixed my soul."

He looked up at her, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I can stand now. But I don't want to walk this path alone." "Will you walk with me? For the rest of our lives?"

Harper dropped to her knees in the grass, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yes!" she screamed, burying her face in his shoulder. "Yes! A thousand times yes!"

Sebastian let out a breath of pure relief. He slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Then, he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss under the starlight.

"I love you, Happy Puppy," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you too, Boss," Harper grinned, tears still wet on her lashes.

From the bushes, a loud sniffle broke the moment. Liam jumped out, holding a camera, crying like a baby. "WAAAAH! THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! I GOT IT ALL ON TAPE!"

Twelve bodyguards popped up from behind the rose bushes, clapping and cheering. Even the new chef was there, wiping his eyes with an apron.

Sebastian sighed, resting his forehead against Harper’s. "I should have fired them all."

Harper laughed, hugging him tighter. "No. Let them watch. I want the whole world to see." "My King is standing."