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“Whatever you pick is fine with me. Go on,” he urged, feeling quite pleased.

She glared at him without any heat but did as he had requested, peering closer at the rings.

“This one,” she said, tapping the screen lightly. “It looks simple but elegant, so it’ll suit you as well.”

Sampson beckoned the store owner over—a balding man who introduced himself as John Bennet—and gestured to the rings Catherine had chosen.

The sizing process was quite quick, and soon they left the store with gold bands on their ring fingers, with a pattern of ivy twisting around the outer side of the band.

“And just in time for our play.” Sampson beamed at her as he guided her to the carriage.

When they settled inside, Catherine placed her hand in her lap and stared at the ring on her finger, the soft sunrays streaming in through the window making it shine.

“Are you all right, my love? If you do not like it, we can get another.”

“What?” She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “No—no, Sampson. I’m… I’m really happy. I feel absolutely happy right now. I can’t even explain it.”

Sampson’s heart swelled with joy, and all he could do was hold her in his arms and tell her, “I am glad you like it. Nothing makes me happier than knowing you like my gift. I hope it connects us for a long time.”

The play was a true spectacle, just like Sampson promised.

Madame Erica must have been fighting with the female lead because she was more than happy to let her numerous affairs slip while reciting her lines. She was such a wonderful actress that it had taken the audience a long while to realize she was actually spilling the real secrets of her costar.

Besides that, getting to watch a live theatre production was truly exciting. The amount of work that went into bringing the story to life was one that Catherine could hardly fathom, which made her appreciate each detail even more. From the costumes tothe small orchestra that had provided the interlude between the acts.

At the end of the day, Catherine was very pleased with how the day went.

“I still cannot believe that she was Miss Linda’s mother all along! I never would have suspected it,” she said, still in awe.

“I have to admit, I am quite impressed as well. And I am very pleased to know you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did. I really did. Can we watch more plays in the future?”

Sampson nodded. “Certainly, darling. Whatever it is you want, let me know and I’ll provide it for you. Even if I have to pull a star from the sky.”

Catherine stopped walking outside the theatre and held his hands.

“Whateverwewant. I appreciate that you want to provide for me, and I couldn’t be luckier even if I tried. But I want our future to consist of moments between us. I want it to be aboutus, our wants, and our desires, not just about me. Let us make great memories together, you and me,” she said earnestly.

Sampson’s lips curled into one of the soft, gentle smiles she had fallen in love with over and over again, and this time was nodifferent when he squeezed her hands and said, “I would love nothing more. Let us live, for us.”

At that moment, she couldn’t have felt any safer or any more loved. His embrace had become so familiar that it had begun to feel like home when she stepped into it, her heart thrumming with excitement to spend the rest of her days with him.

“Yes. For us, my love.”

EPILOGUE

A Month Later

“Ah—no! You’re cheating!”

Benedict rolled his eyes and gestured to the lawn before them. “I am not! You are the one who has performed some very strange tricks that one can only liken to witchcraft.”

“I beg your pardon?” Selina screeched, tossing her mallet aside.

Quickly, Aaron wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her back from killing his cousin and her brother-in-law.

“Breathe, darling. Your niece still needs her father, and our children still need their mother. There would be too many losses if you decide to commit murder on such a lovely day. Please, my love,” he pleaded, the look in his eyes betraying the fact that this was not the first time he tried to keep his wife from exploding.