Page 218 of Broken Destiny

The children were safely with my parents, and I was deeply grateful for that. They had been more than willing to help, their excitement matching my own. My family, Karena, and Elle all knew about the plan. They had spent the last week teasing me, offering suggestions, and laughing at how nervous I had become over everything.

Everyone was rooting for us.

I glanced around the lakeside setting once more.

Soft lights had been strung along the dock, glowing warmly against the fading daylight. The gentle ripple of water reflected the golden hues of the evening sky, and the quiet beauty of the lake wrapped around the entire evening with a calmness that felt almost unreal.

It was perfect.

Exactly the way I had imagined it.

Still, my heart refused to slow down.

I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the small velvet box, opening it carefully.

The diamond caught the light immediately, sparkling with a brilliance against the darkening evening sky.

This ring belonged to her.

Just like my heart always had.

Closing the box, I slipped it back into my pocket and exhaled slowly.

I had rehearsed my speech a hundred times—no, a thousand—but now that the moment was finally here, every carefully planned word seemed to disappear from my head.

Then I heard footsteps approaching.

I lifted my head.

And there she was.

Walking slowly down the dock toward me.

For a second, everything else faded—the lights, the lake, the wind moving across the water.

All I could see was her.

She wore jeans, knee-high boots, a jacket, and a beanie, her loose hair falling softly around her shoulders while the cold evening air painted her cheeks a soft shade of pink.

God.

She was beautiful.

Effortlessly beautiful.

Not because of what she wore or how she looked beneath the lights.

But because she was herself.

The woman I had loved through every version of our story.

My heart slammed hard against my ribs as she moved closer with every step.

This was it.

The beginning of forever.

JIYA