The night after the proposal felt unreal.
Elena sat alone in the silence of her apartment, still dressed in the silver gown Damian had chosen for her. The diamond ring shimmered under the dim lamplight, scattering flecks of light across her trembling hands.
Everywhere she looked, she saw his shadow. The way he’d smiled when he slipped the ring onto her finger. The confidence in his voice. The possessive glint in his eyes.
“Marry me, Elena.”
The words echoed over and over again, louder than her own heartbeat.
“Yes or no?” she whispered to herself. It was a question she should have asked before answering. But everything had happened so fast—too perfect, too public, too impossible to refuse.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Damian.
Damian: “I’ll send a car in the morning. We have an ap
