"You’re really excited for this adventure, huh?" I tease, glancing back at her.
Maya gasps dramatically. "Yes! But no questions, Titi Mari! It’s a secret adventure!"
Sebastian chuckles beside me, shaking his head, his fingers tapping absently against the steering wheel. He’s been quiet since we left, but it’s not the kind of quiet that makes me uneasy. It’s easy, settled, yet beneath it, something hums, something just beneath the surface that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Maya, for one, hasn’t stopped giggling. She tries to stifle it, pressing her lips together, but every few minutes, another little burst of laughter escapes, like she’s carrying some secret too big to keep in.
I glance at Sebastian, but he keeps his eyes on the road, his fingers tightening briefly on the wheel before relaxing again, his jaw ticking like he’s fighting the urge to smile.
Something feels… different. Not wrong, not unsettling, just—charged. The air crackles around me, sending a shiver down my spine, my skin prickling with something I don’t quite understand.
It’s like standing on the edge of a moment I don’t yet know is coming, like a shift is about to happen and I’m the only one who hasn’t been let in on it. I push the thought aside as we pull up to the lake. When suddenly, I see it…
My breath catches. My heart slams against my ribs, hard and fast, as the world narrows down to the scene in front of me. I freeze, my mind struggling to make sense of what’s right there—waiting for me.
The lake is stunning, as always, the water reflecting the sunlight in golden ripples, shifting and glimmering like liquid light. The air smells crisp, clean, tinged with pine and the faint scent of blooming wildflowers. But none of that is what steals my breath away. It’s everything around the lake.
String lights are woven between the trees, delicate and twinkling even in the daylight, as if the stars themselves have been pulled down just for this moment. They guide the way, a glowing path toward the water’s edge.
And there, standing against the backdrop of the endless sky and shimmering lake, is a wooden arch draped in soft, flowing fabric that catches in the breeze. It’s adorned with roses, lilies, and delicate white blooms that look almost too perfect, like something out of a dream.
Just beyond it, nestled in the sand, is a picnic blanket, carefully arranged with flickering lanterns casting soft, golden light over everything.
A chilled bottle of champagne sits in an ice bucket, tiny beads of condensation glistening in the sun. A small speaker plays softly, the familiar melody curling around me like something warm and safe, something that makes my chest tighten in a way I don’t fully understand yet.
And then...there’s them.
Anna. Analyse. Mateo. Ruth. Hilda. Andres. Nathan. Our people. All standing there, waiting. A lump forms in my throat as my eyes dart between them, confusion crashing through me.
“What…” My voice comes out barely above a whisper, shaking. “What’s everyone doing here? I turn to Sebastian, searching for answers, and my world tilts, because he’s not standing beside me anymore…He’s kneeling.
The breath rushes out of my lungs so fast I feel lightheaded. Sebastian is down on one knee, the sunlight catching in his dark hair, casting soft glints of gold.
His eyes are locked onto mine, deep and intent, holding me in place as if nothing else in the world exists. But my gaze drops to what he’s holding.
A small velvet box and inside—my mother’s ring. The same ring my father gave her all those years ago. A sob breaks free before I can stop it, my hands flying to my mouth, my entire body trembling.
Sebastian’s voice is even, but emotion clings to every word, thick and unshaken. “When your mom gave me this ring,” he says softly, his fingers tightening around the velvet box, “she told me it belonged with you. That one day, when the time was right, I’d know.”
He exhales, slow, measured, but I can see the way his chest rises just a little too fast, the way his jaw flexes as he swallowshard. His grip on the box tightens, like he needs to ground himself, like this moment is as overwhelming for him as it is for me.
“Mariana,” he continues, his voice dipping lower, rougher, “I knew the moment you walked back into my life that I was never letting you go again. But the truth is… I knew long before that. I knew from the moment I met you.” He lets out a soft, almost breathless laugh, shaking his head slightly. “And then I made the mistake of letting you leave.” His eyes lock onto mine, steady, unyielding, filled with everything he’s never said aloud.
“The moment you walked back into my life, I promised myself I wouldn’t make that mistake again.”
His words land deep, settling into the very core of me, unraveling something I didn’t even realize I’d been holding onto.
The world around us fades—just the two of us, the lake stretching behind him, the sky wide and endless above.
Tears slip down my cheeks, my vision blurring.
Sebastian smiles—crooked, nervous, perfect—the kind of smile that’s always felt like home. But this time, there’s something else woven into it, something deeper—vulnerability, a love so big it barely fits inside him.
“We’ve taken our time,” he says, his voice thick with emotion, filled with every battle we’ve fought, every scar we’ve mended, every piece of us that we’ve rebuilt. “We’ve learned each other again. We’ve grown together. And through it all, Mariana, I’ve never stopped choosing you.”
His thumb brushes over the edge of the ring box, a tiny, unconscious movement, like he’s holding something sacred in his hands—like he’s holding us. He exhales, his breath shuddering just slightly before he continues, softer now, but with a certainty that settles deep into my bones.
“I know what it’s like to lose you, Mariana.” His gaze locks onto mine, unguarded, stripped bare, filled with the weight ofthe years we spent apart, the ache of every moment we weren’t this.
