CHAPTER 102:
LIAM’S PROPOSAL
Liam’s P.O.V.
Dismissing my thoughts, I was more than elated with the whole ambiance. I immediately went out of the box after it was unwrapped by Diane.
This is what you’ve been waiting for, Liam…
Seeing her even in a blindfold made me shiver with excitement, and I couldn’t help myself to resist the temptation of kissing her right away. I could hardly contain my happiness that it streaked through me like a comet.
Every part of me had been longing for my queen, and hopefully, we could both enjoy the rest of the night.
Even though Diane was not prepared for this, she was amply exquisite while wearing her simple off-shoulder and ruffled black jumpsuit with matching heels. I just hoped that I was the best birthday gift she received today.
God knew how I missed her so much, and I couldn’t care anymore if I was devouring her sultry lips in front of her family. Not to mention that there were even a few witnesses here.
It was already considered a miracle to still have her after the mistake that I did in the past. Fate did me a favor, knowing that it was close to impossible that I could still hold her now.
I loved Diane, and I would be forever devoted to love her until both of us grow old. Being with her made sense after everything that happened before.
Reluctant to end our fervent kiss, I had to do it… or else, I would lose myself here and might end up carrying Diane in the bedroom without paying attention to all the people here.
Bringing out the ring box and opening it made me feel our eternal bond grow eminently. All I just wanted right now was to hear her soulful ‘yes,’ and everything would be all set. I would forever be happy then.
After that, I kneeled in front of her while holding the diamond engagement ring that was only handmade for her—just in time she removed her blindfold. I actually asked David to secretly get her ring size, and I hoped that this ring would perfectly fit in her finger.
Oh, God! Please give me the courage to deliver my speech well, and please, make her say yes.
Please… please… that’s all I could ask from You.
Sweating, I was like an edgy teenager who didn’t know how to start courting. I couldn’t control my hands and feet from trembling.
My chest went up and down while trying to compose myself, but I couldn’t help it. I was still nervous in front of her while swallowing the building lumps on my throat. For the first time in my life, I got so anxious.
What if Diane would say no? I gulped harder at the thought.
Fear fluttered in my stomach. But still, I heard her family and friends cheering up for me, so I took a deep breath and tried so hard to relax. I dismissed my negative thoughts and just focused on Diane.
You can do this, Liam. After all you had been through together, Diane would never reject you.
Being a powerful business magnate, I was very confident because people used to depend on me—most especially now that one of my sub-companies had been bankrupt. Unquestionably, thousands of lives already depended on me since I was twenty-one.
Throughout the years, I was accustomed to talking and giving long speeches to a big crowd. But now, I didn’t know how to start my practiced proposal in front of Diane.
It was a good thing that her brother knew how to play the violin, making the setting even more romantic. I didn’t know how he learned to play the said instrument since I thought he wasn’t that musically inclined, but I couldn’t be more thankful to him. It was perfectly executed.
As David played the violin with a lovely instrumental piece, I started speaking what my heart truly felt. Sure thing, it would be too far from the proposal speech that I had been practicing for the past two weeks.
“I—I really don’t know how to start this, Diane… I know, I’ve got a lot of explaining to do for the past month. I—I will explain later, just let me finish this first.” Beads of sweat never stopped forming on my head as I smiled.
“God knows how much I love you, Diane… and for that, please let me take our relationship to the next level.” I caught a glimpse of how Diane’s eyes flashed with delight.
For a few seconds, I glanced at Mommy Cecille. She was smilingly nodding at me, even encouraging me to go on with my speech for her daughter, as the sign that she approved of me as her son-in-law.
Her eyes started to form some tears of joy, and soon after, the first tear rolled down her right cheek. With all due respect, I asked her permission first, before requesting David and Denise’s approvals too.
I stared at Diane again before I held and kissed her left hand. It was so cold and clammy, prompting me to think about what she was feeling right now.
If she was happy and over the moon too, I really didn’t know. I gazed at her face and saw how tears started streaming down her pretty red cheeks. I was relentlessly hoping that she would say ‘yes’ to me. It would be the best gift that God would give me for my birthday.
Diane’s lips curled, but she didn’t speak up… so I just continued with my proposal.
“For me, you are perfect… and I really don’t care about the past. I love you with all my heart, and I would fight for you no matter what. When I first saw you accidentally hopped inside my car last year, I knew way back then that you wouldn’t only become a part of my life. By then, Diane… you already became my life.”
Pausing for a little while, I got overwhelmed with my feelings, and it was too late for me to notice that I was already teary-eyed.
“And now… I couldn’t live without you, sweetheart. I wanted to wake up and stay beside you for the next days to come. Y-You also feel the same way to me, right? Diane, if you will allow me… will you be my wife? Will you be the mother of my child? Will you take me to be forever part of your life? Will you… will you marry me tomorrow?” I stammered.
I knew that everything was getting too fast but please, Diane… please, just say yes.
It felt like time was slowly killing me when it already took a couple of minutes, but Diane was still unable to respond. It felt like it was the longest waiting I did in my entire life. I stood up, wiped her tears on her face, and that was when she opened her luscious lips.
“Y-You know what, Liam? You’re not being fair to me! Are you expecting me to say ‘yes’ that easily?” She frowned, and the corner of her lips twitched afterwards.
Then, she sniffed. “Is it because… because you’ve always known me as someone who could never reject you? Wow, your stars are in great luck if that’s what you think of! Mind you, there are so many things that we still need to talk to.”
She paused for a while before she continued. “Y-You owed me an explanation as to what had happened over the past few weeks, and it wasn’t that easy to close them out just because you’re offering me a marriage!” I saw how Diane rolled her eyes as she sneered.
Why was her voice reflected annoyance? Is she rejecting my marriage proposal?
“A-Are you rejecting me?” I questioned her while blinking my eyes in the process of not believing her.
My voice sounded like it was enclosed in a shell of sadness with a tinge of bitterness, urging me to unconsciously place back the ring in one of my pockets. At the same time, I was stabbed with a sharp dagger directly on my chest.
The blades pierced through my heart until it eventually ended my pulses. Fear almost unmanned me, making me incapable to think of any other things at the moment. I ended up staring at her, and my perplexed eyes were silently asking her about what I ever did wrong.
It felt like all those dream castles that I had been building for the two of us gradually vanished in just a blink of an eye. I was left openmouthed before a tear of pain escaped my left eye.
Would this be my downfall because I hurt my brother and chose to be with her? I asked myself out of confusion.
Even those who were here with us—who had been cheering, screaming, and applauding for us a while ago—suddenly became dejected about how things went through.
But the way how Diane responded to my kisses was telling me otherwise. Still, I wanted to rely on the positive side.
Diane shook her head. “I wasn’t rejecting you. All I want is for us to be able to talk and clear things properly first. Not to the extent that you will surprise me by kneeling in front of me here, asking my hand in marriage… when I feel being rushed and confused.”
Then, she let out a deep breath. “I have so many questions right now, and I knew that only you could give me the answers that I want. I’m sorry—but I’m not going to marry you tomorrow while there’s still a lot of things running on my mind, Liam. I hope you understand.”
After she said those words, Diane seriously grabbed my left hand and turned to the people around us. “You, guys, can eat first. Liam and I will just talk outside to clear things up.”
Diane did not wait for the guests and her family to answer. She just simply dragged me out of their home.