- 20.
Despite his words, Alex grew quieter each day. He started hiding to smoke. I’d find him the same way he used to find me crying as a kid. I’d never seen him smoke before. It broke my heart. One evening, I found him on the back
porch, staring out at the rain. “Liv,” he said
quietly, “would you… marry me?”
I’d been with him so long, yet I’d never seen him
smoke before. He stubbed it out as I
approached, waving away the smoke. I sat
beside him, joining him in his quiet
contemplation. June was almost over, and
maybe it was just my mood, but this summer
felt hotter than usual. “I came back because
Mom said she was sick,” he said, looking up at
the sky. “But when I got here, she brushed it off
as a joke.” “I thought she was lying.” I didn’t
know how to comfort him, so I just stayed
- ))
44
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silent. He hesitated, then asked carefully,
“Olivia, I don’t want her to have regrets. Can you… help me?” I nodded quickly. “Anything. Just tell me what you need.” Alex turned, his gaze steady and determined. “Marry me.” “We can sign a prenup. The project I’ve been working on is about to get patented. It’ll be worth a lot. You can have it all after we divorce, if you want.” “Of course, what’s yours is yours. You can add any conditions you want to the agreement.” Marriage… wasn’t a small thing. I didn’t want to agree, but Mrs. Peterson had been so kind to me. “Can I think about it?” I asked. He gave a wry smile. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I know I’m putting you in a tough spot. But I’m desperate.”
