Chapter 14 - The Proposal Beneath Catherine's White Roses|
The roses were blooming when Luca asked me to meet him in the garden.
It was a Sunday evening.
The mansion was quiet.
Teresa had spent the afternoon with Sofia and Lily.
My mother had gone home after dinner.
And the late sunlight touched the white roses beside the stone path.
I found Luca standing beneath the old oak tree.
He wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
His tattoos were visible along his forearms and hands.
He looked handsome.
But strangely nervous.
“Hannah.”
I smiled.
“Luca.”
He approached.
“Would you walk with me?”
I nodded.
We followed the path toward the rose garden.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Luca stopped beside a wooden bench.
“Catherine planted these.”
I looked toward the flowers.
“I know.”
He smiled softly.
“She said white roses looked peaceful.”
I laughed.
“Did you agree?”
“Not at first.”
He grinned.
“I told her roses were too much trouble.”
I smiled.
“And what did she say?”
“That anything beautiful was worth caring for.”
My throat tightened.
We stood quietly.
Then Luca turned toward me.
“Hannah, a year ago, I thought I understood everything about my family.”
I looked at him.
“I thought my sister had betrayed me.”
His voice trembled.
“I thought my mother was becoming confused.”
He looked toward the mansion.
“And I thought Catherine had wanted to leave.”
My eyes filled.
He continued.
“I was wrong.”
I squeezed his hand.
“You know the truth now.”
“Yes.”
He smiled sadly.
“Because you refused to let someone humiliate my mother for waiting.”
I looked down.
“I only left her coat on.”
He laughed softly.
“You always say that.”
Then his expression grew serious.
“But that small decision made me ask questions I should have asked months earlier.”
His voice softened.
“It helped bring Sofia home.”
I nodded through tears.
“And it helped you understand Catherine.”
He looked toward the roses.
“Yes.”
For a moment, he seemed to struggle with what to say next.
Then he turned back toward me.
“I've spent years believing love meant protecting the people around me.”
I smiled.
“That's not a bad thing.”
“No.”
He nodded.
“But I confused protecting people with deciding what they needed.”
My expression softened.
He continued.
“You taught me that love begins by listening.”
He took both my hands.
“And you taught me that being afraid doesn't make someone weak.”
My heart began racing.
Luca reached into his pocket.
For one terrible, beautiful second, I couldn't breathe.
A small velvet box rested in his palm.
He slowly knelt.
“Hannah Collins.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
He opened the box.
Inside was a beautiful diamond ring.
Simple.
Elegant.
Perfect.
“I don't want someone who agrees with me because they're afraid.”
His voice trembled.
“I want someone who tells me the truth.”
He smiled.
“Someone who sees people others overlook.”
My heart raced.
“Someone who reminds me that kindness matters more than power.”
He took a breath.
“Hannah, will you marry me?”
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I laughed through my tears.
“Yes.”
His eyes widened.
“Yes?”
“Yes, Luca.”
He stood and pulled me into his arms.
I held him tightly.
We kissed beneath the white roses.
Then a familiar voice shouted from behind the hedges.
“FINALLY!”
We turned.
Sofia stood beside Teresa.
Lily was grinning.
My mother was crying.
Mrs. Alvarez was wiping her eyes.
And Marco looked unusually amused.
Luca laughed.
“Were you all watching?”
Teresa lifted her chin.
“Of course, sweetheart. I'm your mother.”
Everyone laughed.
Then Lily hurried toward me.
She stopped beside my dress.
Looked up.
And asked quietly, “Does this mean you're going to stay?”
My throat tightened.
I knelt beside her.
“If that's what you want.”
She smiled.
“I do.”
I hugged her gently.
Then she whispered something that brought tears to my eyes.
“Mommy would like you.”
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I smiled.
“I hope so, sweetheart.”
Luca watched us.
His expression softened.
And as the last sunlight touched the roses, I realized something.
Our story hadn't begun with a perfect family.
It had begun with grief.
Secrets.
Cruelty.
And an elderly woman waiting beside a window for someone she'd been told wasn't coming.
But now, surrounded by laughter, I understood.
Love hadn't erased the past.
May you like
It had helped us tell the truth about it.
And that truth had finally made room for a future.
