Fear gripped him as he cupped my cheeks, seeking me out. “No, Ava! Don’t you bloody dare do it! Don’t let your mother get between us. We’re stronger than that. We’re better than that. I love you, you know I do. I love you so bloody much I’ve done things I never thought possible.”
Lines started to form on his forehead, his expression one of pleading as he penetrated my soul with his gaze. “Please … don’t break my heart. I won’t ever mend. You’re the one, Ava. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my days with, to be the mother of my children, my wife,” he shakily whispered as his voice got eerily serious. “Marry me.”
“I …” my throat ran dry. I was aghast as I stared at him numbly. “I beg your pardon?” I parroted as the words hounded my thoughts. Marriage. Babies. Wife. Babies. Marriage. Wife. His wife.
His …
Forever.
His face clearly showed how nervous he was, but he somehow produced a ring from one of his pockets before he got on his knee, looking up to me with hope in his eyes. “Ava Watson, you came into my life unexpectedly. Your sass and your unparalleled beauty captured me the very moment I saw you. You spark a fire inside of me, and I want it lit up for the rest of my days.
“Loving you is and will always be my purpose. Grant me this honor of becoming my forever, and I will swear to you, my parents, and to all of jolly England that I will not rest until you are happy. We will continue as one until you take your last breath.” He paused, looking a tad teary. “I am mad for you, and I hope you’re going to consider my proposal.”
He then took my shaky hand and slid the simple gold ring with a tiny diamond embedded in the middle onto my finger. “I know this ring might not be as grand as you certainly deserve, but I vow to you that I’ll work hard and give you a new one each year until I can fully afford to buy you a massive rock.”
Fuck.
As proposals went, this was the most unconventional one, although I knew he was being heartfelt and sweet, just like the man himself.
Uncontrollable tears streaked my face as I stared at the ring on my finger.
“Reiss, I’m too young for this.” I sobbed, distraught that a major part of me wanted to say yes and to hell with the rest of my life. No man, not even Ashton, could make me feel like a bloody goddess. But the other part argued, hard. Giving me bleak scenarios. And, much to my despair, my mother’s words kept ringing in my head, making things worse for me.
“Princess, I’ll wait for you. I’ll wait even if it takes forever. I’ll fucking wait for you,” he fiercely growled before he passionately kissed me.
My tears mingled into our kiss, making me feel helpless inside because the truth remained the same. I wanted him so much it made no sense anymore.
“Reiss,” I said wretchedly. “Please ... I can’t.” I had to break off the kiss as he held on to me, not letting me go.
“I know the future might seem drab, but I promise I’ll go to university and pursue a degree that will make a lot of money to support you. I swear on my life and my honor that I will take care of you. You will come first before anyone or anything else,” he kept on persisting. “If money is the issue, I’ll work twice as hard until I’m filthy rich and your mother finally accepts me.”
In the background, we vaguely heard a man’s voice almost yelling. We both stopped breathing as we tuned our ears to listen properly.
“Ava?”
It was Ashton, looking for me.
“Who’s that?” Reiss’s face had this accusatory look mixed with indubitable pain. “Why is he looking for you? Is he a friend of yours?”
Hearing Ashton’s voice merely cemented what I had decided beforehand. “He is…” I hated myself, but I knew I had to. It was for the best. “He’s my boyfriend,” I finished saying.
His shocked face stared back at me, unblinking. The agony in his eyes would forever haunt me.
“Boyfriend?” The grip on my shoulders became almost too painful as he tried not to shake me. “Boyfriend? What the bloody fuck am I? Your booty call?” He was almost yelling, yet I wasn’t scared. I deserved his wrath. “You’ve been toying with me all this time while I handed my heart over for you to slaughter.”
I wanted to deny it all. That, no, I was just as crazy for him; however, I kept my mouth shut while I saw him fester and seethe with profound loathing for me.
“You’re not even trying to redeem yourself,” he clearly noted as he was wracked with pain. Tears were visible in his emerald depths. “You really mean this, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry, Reiss … I truly am.” I tried to reach out to him, but he jumped backwards, as if I was infected with a deadly virus.
“What a stupendous liar you are, Ava.” He shook his head, eyeing me with utter disdain. “Well, I’ll leave you to be with your boyfriend, seeing as how the bloody fool is looking for his beloved.”
He granted me one more hateful glare before he sniffed and tugged the side of his hair. “I love you—all I ever did was love you—and yet, you spat on that love. I hope you’re happy being a cheating, deceitful, and the most despicable kind of woman out there. Goodbye.”
I watched him leave as I gripped the ends of the sink to hold myself together. My system felt like it was crashing, and I had no one to blame but myself.
This will pass, I silently kept chanting.
This. Will. Pass.
I didn’t emerge from the powder room until forty-five minutes later. The words were still continuously being repeated in my mind. With my red eyes, I knew I had to quickly change and immediately reapply my make-up. Knowing Ashton, he’d spot these imperfections in a heartbeat. Therefore, I had to apply drops in my eyes to make the redness diminish. Then, in order to get the puffiness under my eyes to lessen, I dabbed on some eye gel and doubled the layering of my concealer.
Changing, I chose a short, lilac, chiffon dress that made my eyes look predominantly purple, concealing the blues.
Giving myself a last look over in the massive mirror, Reiss’s face—not the hateful one, but the loving face that had proposed to me—flashed in front of me. I could feel my heart contract as my gaze dropped to the ring on my finger. With a heavy heart, a sob escaped me as I pulled it off my finger and carefully placed it on my dresser.
“I’m sorry. I wretchedly am.” I was talking to the ring, knowing the owner of it wouldn’t care to hear me say it any longer.