Chapter 277: Ella Walker

Ella Walker

The oval window of the jet revealed a sky that shifted between the golden hue of dawn and the deep blue of the open sea. Below us, clouds floated like cotton veils, and what looked like the mainland was slowly disappearing. That alone would have been enough to make me uneasy, but what truly kept me on edge was the silence.

Leon hadn't told me where we were going. Nothing. Not a single clue.

Not even after I gave him that look, the one that always works when I want an answer. He just gave a half-smile, held my hand, and whispered, "Trust me, mon amour."

And how could I not trust him? I trusted him with my life. But that didn’t mean my curiosity wasn’t eating me alive from the inside out.

Lessie, of course, was right beside me, using the exact same strategy. Persistent small talk disguised as casual conversation. She nudged Gavin with her elbow every now and then, bringing up topics like flight routes, travel time, trying to charm and coax out any bit of information with patience and a smile.

But Gavin…

Gavin was made from the same stone as Leon. Just less smiley.

"You’re really not going to tell us?" Lessie huffed, crossing her arms with an air of indignation. "At least tell us if it’s hot or cold!"

Gavin merely raised an eyebrow, pretending to be uninterested, almost rehearsed.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked, changing the subject. "Would you like more water, or something from the tray?"

She mumbled something under her breath and looked at me, frustrated. I simply shrugged and turned my gaze back to the window, trying to find some logic in all of it.

What bothered me wasn't the secret itself, but the feeling that there was more behind it. Leon didn’t plan surprises like this for no reason. He did everything with purpose. And since everything lately revolved around protection, strategy, and security, the fact that we were leaving the mainland didn’t feel like a simple getaway.

Are we going back home? I wondered.

To where it all began?

The thought twisted my stomach. Not because I didn’t want to go, but because I didn’t know what it meant. Was he taking me away from the war? Or preparing me for something bigger?

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the low hum of the aircraft vibrating through the seat. Leon’s hand gently squeezed mine. I opened my eyes and there he was, looking at me with one of those gazes that say everything without a single word.

"You’re going to love it, I promise," he whispered, brushing his lips against my temple.

I tried to smile, but my mind was elsewhere. I loved that man with every inch of my soul, but being with him was like dancing on the edge of a cliff. At any moment, everything could collapse.

Time passed like mist. The sky changed color, the cabin’s silence broken only by brief exchanges between Gavin and the pilot. And then, after nearly fifteen hours and several interrupted naps, I felt the gentle thud of the wheels touching the ground.

We landed.

I looked out the window and, for a moment, I lost my breath.

A paradise. The kind of place you only see in magazine photos, with emerald-blue sea, lush vegetation, soft sand, and a humid warmth that seemed to embrace everything.

"Is this Fernando de Noronha?" I asked, still trying to believe what I was seeing.

Leon just smiled and stood up, offering his hand.

"Surprise, princess!"

I took his hand and stepped off the aircraft like someone stepping into a dream. The scent of salt, the sound of waves crashing in the distance, everything felt surreal.

"Why here?" I asked as he led me toward the jeep waiting for us. Gavin and Lessie followed close behind, taking in the scenery like two kids at an amusement park.

Leon looked at me with tenderness.

"Because this is where I want you to breathe deeply. Where I want you to live in days where the war doesn’t exist." He paused, pulling me closer until our bodies were pressed together. "Because even if the world out there is falling apart, here... here, I only want you."

I was speechless. I just hugged him tightly, as if I could melt into him. And there, wrapped in the warm breeze and the distant sound of the sea, I let the emotion wash over me.

Maybe Leon hadn’t brought me here to run from the war, maybe he brought me here to remind us why we were fighting so hard.

The sun was already kissing the horizon when the jeep began climbing a narrow trail, surrounded by dense, vibrant vegetation in shades of green that looked hand-painted. The scent of wet earth mixed with the sea breeze, and there was something in the way the wind brushed my face that made me forget, even if just for a moment, the life we left behind.

Leon didn’t say a word during the ride. He just held my hand firmly, as if that alone said everything.

When the vehicle came to a stop, my eyes widened.

In front of us stood a light wooden cabin, surrounded by small lit lanterns that shimmered like fireflies. The roof was covered with natural leaves, and wooden porches wrapped around the entire structure, offering a panoramic view of the sea, now tinged in shades of orange and gold. It was a refuge, a perfect hideaway.

"Leon…" I murmured, my voice trembling.

He just smiled and got out, walking around the vehicle to open my door with the gentleness of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. He helped me out, and then, with his arm around my waist, we walked slowly to the entrance of the cabin.

That’s when my knees went weak.

The entrance floor was covered in red rose petals, arranged as if they'd been carefully scattered by loving hands. Small candles in glass holders lit the path, casting soft shadows across the wood. And above the door, a simple and romantic sign swayed with the night breeze:

"Congratulations to the newlyweds."

My heart nearly stopped.

I turned slowly to Leon, my eyes filled with tears. He looked at me in a way that completely unraveled me, a mix of nervousness, love, and reverence.

"Leon… what is this?"

He didn’t answer with words.

He simply took one step back. And then, with the serenity of a man who knows exactly what he wants, he knelt right there, on the petals, with the starry sky as our witness and the sea whispering promises in the background.

My eyes welled up before he even began to speak.

"Ella…" he began, holding a small box in his hands. "Years ago, you enchanted me. When our lives became destined for each other, with that curious gaze and that sweet way of yours that no one could ever forget. You grew up right in front of me and, without even realizing it, became the only woman who could carry my name, which, by the way, is already yours, just like my entire world."

The tears were already running down my face.

"I always wanted the moment to be right. To be ours. Far from pain, far from the uncertainty of war and from my responsibilities. And even knowing that there may never be a 'perfect time,' I wanted to create a now. A place where time stands still, just for you."

He opened the box, revealing a delicate white gold ring with a central diamond surrounded by small sapphires, the stone he always said matched my eyes.

"Would you marry me, for real, this time? With a wedding, with rings, with everything you’ve always dreamed of? Because, Ella Walker, I don’t want to live in any version of time where you’re not my wife, in body, soul, and choice."

I didn’t think. I didn’t hesitate.

I knelt beside him, cupped his face in my hands, and through tears and smiles, said,

"Yes, Leon. A thousand times, yes. I would choose you every single day. In war, in peace, and in whatever comes. You are my home."

He smiled with tear-filled eyes and slid the ring onto my finger with such care, as if he were touching a piece of eternity.

We embraced right there, kneeling on rose petals, surrounded by stars and whispered promises in the breeze. And for the first time in a long time, everything made sense.

Leon hadn’t just asked me to marry him. He had handed me the world, a world he would burn down if anything dared to come near and hurt me. His posture made it clear in every gesture: my place was by his side. Always.