Adeline West
We made small talk for a few minutes, the conversation light and easy, but I knew I had to get to the heart of why I had asked him to meet me. Clearing my throat, I finally spoke up.
“Sebastian… I need to talk to you about something.” I began.
Sebastian nodded, his gaze soft but attentive. “I figured. It’s abot the press conference, right?” He said.
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around the edge of the table. “Yes. I… I need to apologize. I shouldn’t have said anything about it without talking to you first. It was impulsive, and I wasn’t thinking.” I said.
To my surprise, Sebastian smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that always made him look so approachable, so understanding. “Adeline, it’s okay. I’m not upset.” He said.
I blinked, stunned by his response. “You’re not?”
easy for you He shook his head. “No. I mean, sure, it would’ve been nice to have a conversation first, but I know this isn’t with all the mess with the pictures and Killian. You’ve been through a lot, and I get that you’re still trying to figure things out. I’m not going to pressure you.”
My chest tightened, a wave of emotion threatening to choke me. How could he be so understanding, so patient, when I was the one who had messed up? When I was the one who wasn’t sure?
“Sebastian…” I hesitated, feeling the familiar surge of guilt. He leaned forward, cutting me off, his hand covering mine, his touch warm and steady. “Adeline… I love you. I already told you that I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to figure things out.
need.” This isn’t just about me. It’s about us. And I’m willing to give you all the time you
I stared at him, my heart swelling with emotion. How could he be so calm, so patient? I had been so tangled in my own fear, in my own doubt, that I hadn’t stopped to think about what this meant for him. But here he was, telling me that he would wait for as long as I needed. That he believed in us, even when I wasn’t sure I did.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. I looked into his eyes, feeling a wave of something I hadn’t expected- peace. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t overwhelmed by doubt. I wasn’t consumed by fear. I was just… here with him. And it felt right.
“Actually, earlier when you came to my office and we talked … .I know you said there’s no pressure, and I really appreciate that. But after everything that’s happened… I’ve been thinking a lot. About us, about my kids, and about the future.” I paused, feeling my heart race in my chest. “I think… I think I want to give us a chance. I want to marry you.”
For a moment, he didn’t respond, and I felt a wave of uncertainty wash over me. Had I said the wrong thing? But then, his face lit
up with the most genuine smile I’d ever seen, and I felt my heart swell with warmth.
“Adeline,” he said softly, reaching across the table to take my hand. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”
We spent the next hour talking about everything–the future, our plans, and how this would affect our lives. I could feel the weight lifting from my shoulders with every word, and by the time we left the café, I knew I had made the right decision.
As we walked outside, Sebastian turned to me with a glint in his eye. “I have something I want to show you,” he said, his voice teasing but excited
“What is it?” I asked, curious.
“You’ll see,” he replied with a grin. “Just trust me.”
He led me to his car, and we drove in comfortable silence. I had no idea where we were going, but I trusted him completely.
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Chapter 63
When we finally arrived at Hila lake house, the sun had already and the area was cloaked in darkness.
Sebastian” I glanced at him, wondering what he had planned,ut he simply smiled and led me to the backyard. “Why is it so dark here. I asked, and then, as if on cue, lights flickered on luminating the entire fawn.
My breath caught in my throat as I took in the scene before me. The lawn was covered in rose petals, leading to a small, hut- like structure draped in fairy lights. And in the middle of it all, spelled out in glowing letters, were the words, Will you marry
me?
I froze, completely awestruck. The petals, the lights, the sheer beauty of it all–it was overwhelming in the best way possible. Slowly, I walked toward the glowing letters, my heart pounding my chest. I turned around to look at Sebastian, but he
wasn’t there.
*Sebastian?” I called, looking around.
Where did he go?
“Over here.” His voice came from behind me.
I spun around, and there he was, kneeling in the middle of the lawn, a ring box in his hand. The ring inside was breathtaking large diamond surrounded by smaller ones that sparkled in the soft light. I gasped looking at it, my heart pounding in my heart.
-a
“Adeline,” he said, his voice steady and full of emotion. “Will you marry me?”
I nodded with a smile on my lips. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He smiled, slipping the ring onto my finger, and as soon as he did, cheers erupted from behind us. “Congratulations!!”
I turned to see Mary, Sophia, and th
kids standing nearby, clapping and cheering for us. It was perfect, every moment of it.
Sebastian pulled me into his arms, and my kids ran to us. We bent down and hugged them under the soft glow of the fairy lights. I knew that this was the beginning of something beautiful something real.
As the night wore on, Sebastian held a dinner party and everyone was celebrating the engagement, raising glasses in toast. We were all happy. But beneath it all, something felt off.
A strange sensation tugged at me, pulling my attention away from the scene. I sensed a heated gaze on me, intense and piercing, cutting through the laughter and music. It was like a prickle at the back of my neck, a familiar feeling that made my heart skip a beat.
I scanned the crowd instinctively, but everyone seemed engrossed in their own conversations. Yet the feeling of being watched persisted. My pulse quickened, and without thinking, my eyes drifted towards the lake that bordered the edge of the property. The dark water shimmered faintly, reflecting the moonlight. My gaze moved beyond the lake, scanning the opposite shore.
And then I saw it.
Among the shadows of the thick trees, hidden in the creeping darkness, a figure stood still. I squinted, trying to make out who it was. At first, it was just a blur–a shadowy outline barely visible through the branches. But then, something caught the light–two glowing, golden eyes staring right at me.
A wolf.
It was massive, its outline just clear enough for me to recognize the shape. My breath hitched, and a wave of unease washed over me. The wolf’s gaze didn’t waver. It felt familiar, as though I had sensed it before. The way those eyes locked onto me, with such intensity, made my heart race with an inexplicable fear.
Before I could make out more, the wolf turned abruptly, vanishing into the darkness of the trees, its movements swift and
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Chapter 63
silent. I blinked, straining to see where it had gone, but the fore swallowed it whole. It was as if it had never been there at all.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. My fingers tightened around the edge of my dress as I tried to shake off the unsettling feeling creeping into my chest.
Why had it been watching me? Who–or
-was that? And why did the sight of it stir such fear in my heart?
“Adeline? You alright?” Sebastian’s voice cut through the haze, pulling me back into the present.
I forced a smile, pushing the unsettling
encounter to the back of my mind. “Yeah… just got lost in thought for a second.”
But as the celebration continued around the feeling of those golden eyes stayed with me. Whoever–or whatever–that
was, it wasn’t just a coincidence.
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