Page 154 of Kiss Me Like I Didn't Kill You

He takes a moment, his jaw tight, like he’s steadying himself before speaking again.

“I love you. Darkly, fiercely, without a trace of reason. You are mine, Ophelia Bellanti… and I am yours. Yours, in every way a man can belong to another soul.”

He slips a hand into his jacket and takes out a small velvet box. “This time,” his tone dips, “I’m asking you to be my wife, the right way.”

When he opens it, an emerald ring, deep green and gleaming, set in a slender band of platinum edged with diamonds rests there.

“Will you marry me?” The words come out slow. “Not bound by contracts or circumstance, but by choice. Yours and mine. Here, in the city where our story first began.”

His gaze holds mine, unwavering. “I’ll make mistakes again. I’ll get things wrong, that’s inevitable. But I’ll never hurt you again. I’ll spend every day proving that you’re mine, and that I’m yours. No one else. Nothing else.”

The tears come before I can stop them. My throat tightens, my chest aches.

As I take in his expression, I see the fear in his eyes. Real fear. As if whatever I say next might be the thing that ruins him.

I glance at the ring, at his hand, at the way he’s holding his breath. Then I nod.

Just once.

Relief flashes across his face so fast it almost hurts to watch. His shoulders drop, his jaw sets, and for a moment the control he always keeps just… slips.

He exhales, unsteady, then slides the ring onto my finger, right beside the first one.

It fits so perfectly, like they were designed to be worn together.

When he stands, I barely have time to catch my balance before his hands are on my face, his forehead resting against mine.

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” he breathes, each word breaking on a kiss—my cheeks, my temples, the corner of my mouth—until at last, his lips find mine.

The kiss steals the breath from me. It isn’t gentle, it’s fierce and consuming. I lose myself in him, and I don’t want to find my way back.

When we finally break apart, I can hardly speak. My voice trembles, but the truth sits clearly on my tongue. “I love you,” I whisper. “More than you could ever imagine.”

He closes his eyes for a moment, as though he’s finally heard the words he’s been longing for.

And in that moment, standing in the heart of Paris, his arms around me, his heartbeat pounding against mine, I finally feel at peace.

I’ve been angry, hurt, confused. I swore I wouldn’t forgive him easily. He needed to earn it, to prove that he would never doubt me again. And he did. Every single day, he did. And I know he’ll keep proving it.

Life has tested us in ways we never expected, but we made it through. We have our love, and we have our respect for one another, and with that, we can face anything.

We can finally be happy, we can finally leave the ghosts behind.

No guilt, no lies.

Just us.

Chapter 57

Arlo

Ophelia looks like a queen.

The dress, the heels, everything she’s wearing tonight is exactly what I imagined when I planned this.

The white satin clings to her just enough to make my chest tighten, the hem brushing her thighs every time she moves. Those Louboutins I picked fit her perfectly, just like I knew they would.

But honestly, she could wear anything and still look like the most beautiful thing that’s ever walked this earth.