Then I looked at Julia, who was watching us with a small, hopeful smile.
I realized that the future I had imagined for myself might never arrive in exactly the form I had once expected.
But perhaps life was offering me something different.
Something unexpected.
Something that still had room for love.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Mark looked up, almost afraid he had misheard me.
I laughed through my tears.
“Yes, Mark. I’ll marry you.”
He slipped the ring onto my finger.
It fit perfectly.
I pulled him into my arms, and for the first time in years, I felt the weight of all that waiting begin to lift.
When we finally separated, he rested his forehead against mine.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too,” I replied. “But you’re never keeping a secret like this from me again.”
He nodded immediately.
“Never again.”
Julia let out a small laugh, wiping her eyes.
