“I can give you stability,” he said. “A real home. Security for you and your children. A life without constant worry.”
My heart skipped. “Richard… what are you saying?”
He smiled gently. “I’m asking you to marry me.”
Then he pulled out a ring box.
Inside was a diamond and sapphire ring that looked impossibly expensive.
“Let me take care of you,” he said.
I stared at it, thinking. I had loved someone once, tried to build a life on that. It had left me alone, struggling, abandoned.
I didn’t love Richard—but I liked him. And he hadn’t said he loved me either. Maybe that made things simpler.
“Is it really that hard to decide?” he asked, his voice light but strained underneath.
I hesitated. Then I told myself I was being practical. That I was choosing what a good mother should—security over dreams.
“Okay,” I said, slipping my hand forward. “Yes.”
