Chapter 12
1310 Words
Ella felt like the ground beneath her had shifted.
The ring box was still in Daniel’s hand.
The question was still hanging in the air.
And her heart was racing so loudly she could barely hear her own thoughts.
“I… I need you to stand up,” she finally said, her voice shaking slightly.
Daniel looked at her face carefully. He could see the confusion. The fear. The uncertainty.
Slowly, he rose to his feet.
“I’m not rejecting you,” Ella added quickly, almost defensively. “I just… I need time. I wasn’t expecting this. It’s too sudden.”
Daniel nodded gently.
“I understand,” he said with a small smile. “Take all the time you need.”
But even though he smiled, something about the atmosphere had changed.
Ella could feel it.
The air between them felt tight. Heavy.
She couldn’t meet his eyes for long.
Her mind had started spinning.
What if this proposal changes everything?
What if he stops helping if I say no?
What if he only wants to secure control?
What if this is about pride… not love?
She suddenly felt overwhelmed.
“I’m tired,” she said quietly. “I want to rest.”
Daniel stepped back slightly. “Okay.”
Without saying anything else, Ella picked up the gift bags and hurried to her room.
She shut the door gently but firmly.
Then she leaned against it.
Her heart was pounding.
She pressed her hands against her face.
“Why now?” she whispered to herself.
She wasn’t comfortable anymore.
Not because Daniel had done something wrong.
But because everything had suddenly become real.
The help.
The care.
The gifts.
The presence at the clinic.
It wasn’t just kindness.
It had intention.
And intention meant expectations.
Meanwhile, in the sitting room, Mamacita had witnessed everything.
The proposal.
Ella’s hesitation.
The tension.
She cleared her throat and sat opposite Daniel.
“Daniel,” she began calmly, though her tone carried weight.
“Yes, Ma?”
“You truly mean what you said?”
Daniel didn’t hesitate. “Every word.”
“You know marriage is not sympathy.”
“It’s not sympathy,” he replied firmly. “It’s love.”
Mamacita studied him carefully.
“You understand that she is vulnerable right now?”
“Yes.”
“You understand she is pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“And you still want to carry everything that comes with it?”
“Yes.”
There was no wavering in his voice.
Mamacita leaned back slightly.
“Young man,” she said slowly, “if you break her heart, I will not forgive you.”
Daniel nodded respectfully. “I don’t plan to.”
After a few more minutes of conversation, Daniel stood up to leave.
“I’ll give her space,” he said. “But I’m not changing my mind.”
He walked out of the house calmly.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
Mamacita didn’t wait.
She marched straight to Ella’s room and knocked once before opening the door.
Ella was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall.
“What is wrong with you?” Mamacita demanded.
Ella blinked. “What?”
“Why would you reject his proposal?”
“I didn’t reject him!” Ella protested immediately. “I said I need time.”
“Time for what?” Mamacita snapped. “Can’t you see love in that boy’s eyes?”
Ella stood up.
“Stop shouting at me!”
“Are you still thinking about that stupid Josh who abandoned you?” Mamacita continued angrily.
“Stop it!” Ella yelled, her eyes flashing. “I am not thinking about Josh!”
The room went silent for a second.
Ella took a shaky breath.
“I’m not thinking about Josh,” she repeated more calmly. “And moreover, I didn’t reject Daniel. I just need time to think.”
“Think about what?” Mamacita asked, folding her arms.
Ella’s voice dropped.
“What if he wants to marry me so that he could get back everything he has done for me?”
Mamacita’s expression softened slightly.
“No,” she said firmly. “Don’t think like that.”
“But how can I be sure?” Ella asked. “He has paid hospital bills. Bought food. Supported me. What if marriage is just a way to secure his investment?”
“Investment?” Mamacita gasped. “Is that how you see yourself?”
Ella looked away.
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
Mamacita sighed.
“I am very sure he has good intentions toward you.”
“You can’t be one hundred percent sure,” Ella replied quietly.
Before Mamacita could respond—
“Hello?”
The voice came from the sitting room.
Both women froze.
They exchanged glances.
“Who is that?” Ella whispered.
They stepped out of the room.
Standing in the sitting room doorway was Anita.
She looked slightly tired, her handbag hanging loosely on her shoulder.
“Sis Anita!” Mamacita called out quickly. “Let me gist you.”
Anita rolled her eyes lightly. “Look, Mamacita, let me rest. I know you always have gist.”
“No, sister Anita,” Mamacita said, excitement and tension mixing in her voice. “This is not a regular gist.”
Anita paused.
“What is it?”
Mamacita didn’t hesitate.
“Daniel proposed to Ella.”
The words dropped like a bomb.
Anita blinked.
“What?”
Her eyes slowly shifted toward Ella.
“Why would he do that?” she asked quietly.
Anita continued, “Did Ella accept his proposal?”
“No,” Mamacita answered. “She said she wants to think about it.”
Anita went silent.
Completely silent.
But inside her mind, a storm had started.
Daniel proposed?
Marriage?
To Ella?
Her chest tightened.
She forced a neutral expression.
“Oh,” she said softly. “Okay.”
But a thousand thoughts were racing through her head.
So it’s true.
All those times he defended her.
All those gifts.
All those hospital visits.
It wasn’t just kindness.
It was love.
And I was blind.
Anita felt something she hated admitting.
Jealousy.
Not loud jealousy.
But sharp.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
She sat down slowly.
“So… what are you going to do?” she asked Ella.
“I don’t know,” Ella replied honestly.
Anita looked at her closely.
“You’re lucky,” she said after a pause.
Ella frowned. “Lucky?”
“Yes. Not everyone gets someone who stands by them like that.”
The words sounded supportive.
But underneath them was something else.
Anita excused herself and went to her room soon after.
Once inside, she shut the door and leaned against it.
Her breathing became uneven.
She had always admired Daniel.
His maturity.
His calmness.
His generosity.
She never confessed it.
She never acted on it.
But she had imagined… maybe one day.
And now?
He was proposing to Ella.
Her chest burned.
Meanwhile, in her room, Ella lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Everything felt complicated.
Daniel loved her.
He had proven it.
But love wasn’t something she could switch on and off.
She cared about him.
She appreciated him.
But did she love him?
Or was she just tired of being alone?
Ella knows she's not fully healed from what Josh did to her and she doesn't want to use Daniel to get off Josh from her head.
She still remembers Josh sometimes.
Her world had just become even more complicated.
In another room, Anita sat on her bed, staring at nothing.
She made a decision.
If Ella doesn’t want Daniel…
Then maybe I won’t step aside anymore.
She stood up slowly.
At the same time, Mamacita sensed something was shifting in the house.
Something heavy.
Something dangerous.
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