Olivia’s POV
The quiet after storms always felt unfamiliar to me. Almost like silence pressing too close to the skin, making me wonder when the next thunder would roll.
Lucas and I had just returned from the jewelry store, the bag with its small velvet box resting carefully on my vanity. I hadn’t yet shown him what I had chosen, not fully. Part of me wanted to wait for the right moment, when my heart was steadier and the words wouldn’t catch in my throat.
Now, in the golden glow of evening, we were home.
Lucas was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, preparing something simple. The clatter of pans and the low hum of his voice as he half-sang to himself floated into the living room. It was so ordinary it almost hurt. After everything—the betrayals, the accusations, the nights I thought I’
