He tapped a ss gently, drawing attention. Linda stiffened across from him.


    “I was saving this,” he began, “but maybe now’s the time.”


    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring.


    My stomach dropped.


    “Linda,” he said, steady and heartfelt, “I know this vacation hasn’t


    gone the way we


    imagined. But through everything, my feelings haven’t changed. I love you. I want a future


    with you. Will you marry me?”


    The terrace fell silent.


    Linda rose slowly.


    Then: “No.”


    The wordnded like a punch.


    She held his gaze, her voice soft but unwavering. “I’m sorry. I can’t. Not yet.”


    Then she turned and walked away.


    Noah sat frozen, the ring still in his hand. The music didn’t resume. The candles still flickered. But something in the air had changed.


    And none of us could pretend we hadn’t felt it.


    After Linda walked away from the proposal, the dinner continued, but nothing felt the same.


    Conversations turned shallow. Theughter was hollow. Even the string quartet yed like they were counting the minutes. Eventually, people began to retreat one by one, whispering farewells, clutching half–finished sses of champagne as if the evening hadn’t cracked in half.


    Liam disappeared before most of them.


    I didn’t even see when he left, but his absence settled over the terrace like fog. A nce at


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    the far end of the table confirmed it, his seat was empty. No goodbyes. No confrontation.


    Just… gone.


    I stayed behind.


    Not because I was having the best time, but because leaving meant facing silence and the questions waiting in my head. Tonight, silence was louder than anything.


    Kelvin and I nursed a half–drunk bottle of wine on the lounge chairs. The stars blinked above us like they pitied the mess below. We talked about everything and nothing. Melissa’s sparkly gown, Oliver’s tearful speech, Linda’s boldness. Our feet brushed now and then, but neither of us made a thing of it.


    I tilted my sszily and asked, “You think Noah will be okay?”


    Kelvin’s fingers tapped rhythmically against his bottle. “Yeah. He’ll be fine. They both will. Might take time, but they’ll figure it out.”


    I nodded slowly. “You always sound so sure.” <fn0a11> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on Find_Novel(.</fn0a11>


    He grinned. “That’s because I usually am.


    “1


    <i>” </i>


    Iughed. And for a few minutes, I forgot about Liam. About the heat in his eyes. About how he made everything feel too big, too intense.


    Then Kelvin shifted, looking more serious. “I’ve got something to tell you.”


    I nced at him. “Oh no. Should I be worried?”


    He leaned in slightly. “I’m moving back to the States.<i>” </i>


    My eyebrows lifted. “Seriously?”


    “Yep. Moving back for good.”


    A smile tugged at my lips. “Wee back, then. But please don’t bring your troubles with you.”


    He smirked. “Oh, I’m bringing trouble. In fact… I’ming to woo you.”


    I blinked, thrown off guard,pletely speechless


    Maybe it was the wine. Or how he casually said it, not joking. Maybe it was the ache in my


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    chest from being ignored all night by Liam. Maybe I just wanted to feel wanted.


    Whatever it was, Kelvin leaned in… and kissed me.


    His lips were warm, steady. He smelled like expensive cologne and good decisions.


    But nothing in me stirred.


    No sparks. No butterflies. No internal chaos. My heart didn’t skip. My fingers didn’t tingle. Instead, I felt… nk. Like I was trying to pretend a melody existed when the room was quiet.


    All I could think of was how different it felt from Liam. How Liam’s kiss had left me dizzy, breathless, like I’d been standing too close to fire. And this? This felt like warm water on a closed tap. Gentle. Predictable. Safe.


    Too safe.


    I pulled away gently, cing my hand on his chest.


    “Kelvin… no,” I said quietly.


    He didn’t argue. Just looked at me, like he already knew.


    “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I just… I don’t feel that way.”


    He gave a soft, one–sided smile. “I figured.”


    “Goodnight, Kelvin.”


    I turned toward the vi, heart confused and heavy.


    But I didn’t even make it two steps.


    He was there.


    Liam.


    Leaning against the stone pir near the stairs, arms crossed, face carved in shadow. I hadn’t even seen him step outside.


    His eyes were locked on me, and he didn’t blink.


    The anger in his stare wasn’t loud. It was quiet. Controlled. But deadly. I’d never seen him


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    like that. Not when we argued. Not when I challenged him. This was different. This was something cold and dangerous, simmering just beneath the surface.


    He stepped forward once, then stopped. Like he was about to say something, but caught himself.


    And in that hesitation, I saw something worse than fury.


    I saw pain.


    “Liam…” I started.


    But he turned and walked off.