Chapter 118 Proposal

Chapter 118 Proposal

Chloe's POV

I froze, completely confused.

"What ambiguous guy?" I frowned at Dahlia. "This is the first I'm hearing about it."

Dahlia looked like she'd caught me red-handed. She pulled out her phone and opened her photo album. Triumph was written all over her face.

"Of course you'd play dumb." She shoved the screen in front of me. "See for yourself."

I looked down. I did recognize the person in the photo. Charles from our class. He practiced diligently and was always asking me questions after class.

The angle of this photo was especially sneaky. In the frame, I was sitting at the piano while he leaned in close. His face was near mine. My hand was raised mid-air, making it look like I was touching his wrist.

Layla immediately scoffed. "That's the most deliberately staged stalker shot I've ever seen. Ridiculous."

The memory of that day came rushing back.

Charles had been playing without any emotion that day. His rhythm was stiff and mechanical. I'd simply asked him to sit beside me so I could teach him how to infuse feeling into the melody. I'd helped adjust his arm positioning while I was at it.

That was all. Something completely innocent.

Seeing my silence, Dahlia grew bolder.

"Nothing to say? I told you there was something going on. Everyone at school knows Charles follows you around constantly."

Stella chimed in, her voice dripping with bitterness. "Mr. White, you should really take a good look at who you're dating."

Before I could defend myself, Lucas reached out. "Give it here."

A flash of glee crossed Dahlia's eyes. She immediately handed over her phone.

Lucas took it. He glanced down at the screen. He tapped it twice with his fingertip.

The next second, right in front of everyone, he deleted the photo.

Dahlia's smile froze. "You—"

Lucas handed the phone back to her. His tone was ice-cold. "Now it's gone."

Dahlia was completely stunned. She frantically grabbed her phone to check. Her cheeks flushed bright red. "How dare you delete my stuff?"

"You took a creeper shot of my girlfriend. You used that manipulated photo to stir up trouble." Lucas looked at her coolly. "I'm being generous by only deleting it."

Standing beside him, I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Layla whistled beside me, her eyes full of amusement.

Stella's expression darkened. She pressed on stubbornly. "You just believe her like that? Without even asking?"

Lucas turned to look at her. His tone was certain. "Why would I need to ask?"

Stella was momentarily speechless.

He tightened his grip on my hand. A faint smile was on his lips. "I know what kind of person she is. And I know exactly what you two are up to."

Dahlia couldn't come up with a single word of rebuttal. She turned and fled in humiliation. I never saw her or Stella again after that. They probably knew they were in the wrong and avoided me from then on.

Life moved forward steadily. I graduated high school smoothly.

Not long after graduation, we moved from our cramped rental into a spacious new apartment.

I personally chose every detail of the decoration. The floor color scheme. The sofa style. The kitchen fixtures. The curtain fabric.

The day we actually moved in, I stood in the center of the living room. I gazed at the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I looked at the painting I'd chosen hanging on the wall. My heart swelled with emotion.

This wasn't just a temporary place to stay. It was a home where someone would wait for me, year after year.

It was Lucas's and my home.

Moving day was especially lively. My parents, Layla, and the White family all came over.

The kitchen was warm and cozy. My mom and Luna were cutting fruit. Selwyn opened a bottle of red wine. My dad adjusted the projector and sound system. Layla wandered around the living room clutching a bowl of popcorn. She laughed, saying this apartment was finally worthy of hosting the private music salon I'd open one day.

No one mentioned Owen anymore. That man seemed to have completely exited our lives.

Luna took my hand and studied me quietly for a long moment. Her eyes were full of emotion. "Chloe, you've really changed so much."

I smiled. "Have I?"

"Of course." She patted the back of my hand gently. "You used to be so cautious all the time. Constantly accommodating others. Afraid of doing something wrong."

"But now it's different. You're calm and relaxed. There's confidence in your eyes."

I instinctively looked toward Lucas, who was busy across the room. I said softly, "He changed me."

Selwyn happened to overhear. He turned with a smile. "Not quite. You've changed each other."

He swirled his wine glass. "You've made Lucas gentler. More alive. In all these years, I've never seen him smile this often."

Layla immediately jumped in teasingly. "I can vouch for that! He used to look so cold and intimidating. Like he was about to interrogate someone at any moment."

Everyone burst out laughing. Lucas looked up, his tone flat. "I can hear you."

"Good, let him hear." Layla raised an eyebrow. "You're in such a good mood now, there's no way you'd hold it against me."

After dinner, everyone piled into the living room to watch a movie.

The lights dimmed. The projection flickered on the wall. My parents cuddled together. Selwyn and Luna sat side by side. Layla curled up on the carpet with a pillow, munching on chips.

I leaned against Lucas, a light blanket draped over my legs. Just as the film reached its most heartwarming scene, the screen suddenly went black.

Confused murmurs rippled through the living room.

"Did the equipment malfunction?" my dad asked first.

The next second, a gentle classic love song began playing through the speakers. Not from the movie. A deliberately switched track.

I stiffened abruptly. I looked up at the man holding me.

Layla sat bolt upright. Her eyes were bright with excitement. She covered her mouth. "No way!"

My mom caught on too. She pressed her hand to her chest. Her eyes brimmed with emotion.

Under everyone's gaze, Lucas slowly stood up.

He looked down at me. His eyes overflowed with undisguised devotion. My heart raced. Flustered yet expectant.

"Lucas…" My voice came out slightly tight.

Without another word, he extended his hand toward me. "Chloe, stand up."

I placed my hand in his warm palm. He led me to the center of the living room.

The room fell utterly silent. So quiet we could hear each other breathing.

Lucas gazed at me quietly for several seconds. His Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the surge of emotion.

He pulled a small jewelry box from his suit pocket. A chorus of sharp gasps filled the living room.

My eyes instantly welled up.

"I originally prepared an entire speech." His voice was low. His gaze never left me. "I rehearsed it over and over on the way here. I was still refining the wording right before I walked in."

Our family and friends murmured around us. Lucas paid them no attention. His eyes held only me.

"But standing in front of you now, I realize all those words are unnecessary."

He opened the jewelry box. A diamond ring glittered under the light.

"I've made countless decisions in my life. Some right. Some wrong."

"But falling in love with you is the most certain decision I've ever made. The one I'll never regret."

Tears streamed down my cheeks. He reached up to gently wipe them away. His voice was impossibly tender.

"You're the reason I want to live well. To find my way home. To become a better person. To have an endless future ahead of me."

"You gave me a real home, Chloe."

He looked up at me deeply. His tone was solemn and reverent.

"Now, I want to ask you."

Before everyone bearing witness, Lucas slowly knelt on one knee.

He looked up at me. His expression was pure and earnest. "Will you marry me?"