It had been two weeks since Ravi walked away again.

  Two weeks of silence. No texts. No calls. Just a heavy space where a brother once stood.

  Kay tried not to let it weigh her down, but it was hard. She missed Ravi deeply. Yet every time she looked at Zayn, she was reminded that some loves were meant to be fought for—even at the cost of everything.

  Zayn saw it in her. The quiet sadness in her eyes. The guilt she carried. And it broke him, because all he ever wanted was to give her peace.

  So he made a decision.

  It was a quiet Sunday evening when he took her for a drive. They ended up by the Gulf of Paria, where the golden sunset melted into the sea, and the breeze carried the smell of salt and warm sand.He set up a blanket on the beach, brought wine and her favorite doubles, and played soft music from his phone. They laughed, they talked about old memories, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

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  And then, just as the last bit of sun disappeared into the horizon, Zayn turned serious.

  “Kay,” he said, reaching for her hand. “You know I never planned to fall in love with you, right?”

  She smiled softly. “I know.”

  “I tried to push you away. I told myself you were off-limits. But you… you crawled into my heart, and now I can’t breathe without you.”

  Her throat tightened. “Zayn…”

  “I don’t want to hide anymore. I don’t want to love you in pieces—only when no one’s watching. I want you. All of you. Forever.”

  And then he pulled out the velvet box.

  Kay gasped as he opened it, revealing a delicate gold ring with a single emerald-cut diamond—a symbol of quiet elegance, just like her.

  “Marry me, Kay.”

  She blinked, tears instantly spilling down her cheeks. “Zayn…”

  “Say yes. Say you’ll be mine—truly mine. No more hiding. No more guilt. Just us.”

  She launched herself into his arms, sobbing as she kissed him over and over. “Yes… yes, Zayn, a million times yes.”

  He slipped the ring onto her finger with shaking hands, then cradled her face and kissed her like it was the first time all over again—deep, passionate, and full of promise.

  That night, they made love on the sand under the stars—slow, worshipful, tangled in love and sea breeze and forever.

  And for the first time in a long time… everything felt right.