Chapter 151 The beginning of forever
Chapter 151 The beginning of forever
Lina’s POV
The dress was hands down the most beautiful thing I had ever worn. It was a floor-length black gown stitched with shimmering pearls. The front featured a plunging V-neckline that highlighted my cleavage, framed by a delicate border of red diamonds. It had elegant long sleeves, and the back was completely open. I looked entirely different.
Bella fastened a matching red diamond necklace around my neck. It sat right above the mark Kailen had left on my skin—a mark that still hadn't faded. I wondered how Carlino would feel seeing it out in the open like this. It wasn't like he hadn't noticed it before, whenever we were intimate and his lips traced down my neck, he touched it, but he always acted like it didn't bother him.
Still, seeing it in the mirror always made me feel a twist of disgust. But if my lover wasn't worried about it, I supposed I shouldn't be either.
I carefully made my way down the stairs, taking slow steps because of the ridiculously high heels I was wearing. Carlino was waiting for me at the bottom, and the second his eyes met mine, he froze. He couldn't take his eyes off me.
He reached out a hand to help me down the last few steps. "You look breathtaking, Tesoro," he murmured, leaning in to press a firm kiss to my lips.
"You don't look so bad yourself. You know exactly how much I love staring at your chest," I teased, glancing at the glimpse of skin showing through his unbuttoned suit jacket.
"I love you, Tesoro," he smiled, offering his arm. "Shall we?"
"Definitely," I smiled, looping my arm through his.
\~~~
Within thirty-five minutes, we arrived at the venue. The car pulled up to a private estate nestled along a rugged, moonlit cliffside overlooking the Atlantic. I looked out the window, expecting to see a valet line, a crowd of New York’s elite, or at least the dull hum of a bassline echoing from a ballroom. Instead, there was only the rhythmic crash of the waves below and a path lined with soft, glowing lanterns that wound through a canopy of weeping willows.
"Carlino, where is everyone?" I asked, turning to him as he stepped out and walked around to open my door. "This was supposed to be the business you have been hurrying to come attend to. And I thought you said it was a party."
"It is an important business I've come here to handle. And yes, it is a party, " he murmured, his fingers sliding into mine, warm and grounding. "A party for two."
He led me down the winding path, the scent of night-blooming jasmine filling the air. The deeper we walked, the more the world outside seemed to completely vanish.
When the trees cleared, my breath caught in my throat. It felt almost heavenly, an ethereal glass pavilion jutting out over the water, suspended between the starry night sky and the dark, shimmering ocean. Inside, hundreds of floating candles hovered at varying heights, casting a warm, celestial glow over a single table set for two.
White orchids dropped from the ceiling like frozen waterfalls, and the soft, ambient melody of a cello seemed to breathe through the space.
"Carlino..." I whispered, my hand tightening around his. "This is beautiful. You did all this?"
"Only the best for you, Tesoro," he said softly, guiding me inside.
The entire evening felt like a beautiful blur. We ate, we laughed, and for the first time in years, the weight of the past didn't anchor us down.
Every look he gave me was heavy with a devotion I hadn't realized I was starved for. He didn't care about the mark on my neck, his eyes never wandered from my face, treating me as if I were the only precious thing left in the world.
When the dessert plates were cleared, Carlino stood up and held out his hand to me. I took it, allowing him to pull me toward the edge of the pavilion where the glass walls met the open night air.
The breeze caught the bottom of my gown, making the dark fabric swirl like midnight smoke.
He reached into his jacket, and my heart gave a sudden, violent thump. But he didn't pull out a box. Instead, he pulled out a small, worn piece of parchment.
"Five years ago, when everything fell apart and I thought I lost you forever, I wrote something," Carlino said, his usual cold, unbothered demeanor melting into something raw and entirely vulnerable. He unfolded the paper, his hands remarkably steady, though his eyes were dark with emotion. "I promised myself that if I deserved a second chance and I got it, I wouldn't waste a single breath."
He looked up from the paper, locking his gaze with mine, completely abandoning the written words. "I spent a long time believing I was meant to walk through this life in total darkness, Lina. Then you came along, and you brought light, and then you gave me our girls. I don't just love you. You are my anchor. You are my home."
He sank down onto one knee, the fabric of his trousers brushing the glass floor. From his pocket, he produced a velvet box, snapping it open to reveal a ring that stole the breath right out of my lungs—a flawless, deep red diamond surrounded by a halo of brilliant white gold, mirroring the exact stones on my dress.
"Lina, I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to build a kingdom for our daughters with you by my side. I want to love you through the quiet days and protect you through the storms. Will you do me the ultimate honor of becoming my wife?"
A tear slipped down my cheek, hot and heavy, followed by another until my vision blurred into a smear of candlelight and starlight. The sheer weight of everything we had survived, the distance, the secrets, the pain, and the bitter arguments—washed over me all at once.
I sobbed, a sound of pure, overwhelming relief, and nodded frantically because my voice had trapped itself in my throat. "Yes," I finally choked out, bowing my head as the tears spilled freely. "Yes, Carlino. A thousand times, yes."
He let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for a lifetime. He slipped the ring onto my finger—a perfect, heavy fit—before standing up and scooping me into his arms. I buried my face into the crook of his neck, crying out the last remnants of our painful past against his skin, while his arms wrapped around me like an unbreakable shield.
He kissed away my tears, his own eyes suspiciously bright as he held me against his chest, right where my heart beat in perfect synchronization with his.
The same thing that Mom has been talking about for days is finally happening. I'm getting married to the father of my kids, the love of my life. I'm finally going to be his wife. The idea of being his wife made me feel some fluttering feelings inside me.
Looking out over the endless expanse of the ocean, the glittering lights of New York in the far distance, a profound sense of peace finally settled deep into my bones.
Truth be told, our journey hadn't been an easy one. It was messy, fractured, and filled with hurdles that should have broken us entirely. Yet, against all odds, the pieces of our shattered lives had aligned. We had fought through the wreckage of our past, endured the scars, and somehow made it back to each other, ready to turn the page and step into the light, and finally start another life together.