Chapter 176

The moment Benjamin saw Sophia, his heart raced out of control — like it had come back to life.

In that moment, he knew with absolute certainty that she was the only one for him, for the rest of his life.

Even if it took every remaining day he had to make up for what he'd done, he was willing.

Sophia took a deep breath, like she'd made up her mind about something. "Okay."

They left the office building together and made their way to an upscale French restaurant.

Benjamin had reserved the entire place. The restaurant was empty except for a single table set in the middle of the hall, already laid out with a meal prepared well in advance.

They sat across from each other, neither one speaking first. A soft, flowing piano melody drifted through the room, as if the music was saying what words couldn't.

Benjamin slid his cut steak over to Sophia. She pushed it back.

"I prefer to cut my own, but thanks."

Watching her keep her distance stung, but he knew he had no one to blame but himself. This was the consequence of what he'd done.

He pressed his lips together and spoke while he ate.

"On the night I was flying back, before I even got on the plane, I told myself — if I make it home safe, if I get to see you again, I'm not going to hesitate. I'll take your hand and hold on. Call it selfish, call it shameless, whatever — I just knew I had to keep you with me."

"But when I actually got back, I lost my nerve."

He set down his knife and fork. His eyes held a quiet depth, like a stretch of the Milky Way glimmering in the dark.

Sophia looked away, fixing her gaze on the shoreline in the distance. "I think things are fine between us the way they are."

"No, they're not." His voice was steady and sincere. "We've already lost so much time. I don't want to keep losing more."

"Sophia, I love you. You were always the one. I wanted to marry you before you ever thought about marrying me."

The moment he finished speaking, fireworks burst open along the shoreline — one after another, lighting up the whole night sky.

A flicker of brightness crossed Sophia's eyes. She watched the fireworks, a small smile forming at the corner of her lips without her even realizing it.

She was lost in the light and color of the display, completely unaware that Benjamin had quietly taken her hand and slipped a ring onto her finger.

She felt a cool touch between her fingers. When she looked down, she found the wedding ring she had taken off when she decided on the divorce was back on her hand.

She instinctively reached to take it off. Benjamin gently pressed her hand down. "Wait. Not yet."

There was something in his voice that made her pause. She looked at him closely, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

Benjamin reached into his pocket and pulled out a men's wedding band. A flicker of surprise crossed Sophia's face.

She had given him that ring. But she had never once seen him wear it.

She later learned from Alice that Benjamin had thrown it away long ago, and had said outright that the marriage was a stain on his life — that he would never wear a ring that matched Sophia's.

The last thing she expected was to see it again, let alone in such perfect condition. But looking closer, she could see the faint marks left from being touched and handled over and over again.

She could almost picture it — Benjamin alone late at night, quietly taking out the ring and turning it over in his hands.

He didn't rush to put it on. Instead, he placed the men's ring in her palm.

"When you gave me that ring, you were giving me everything. And I didn't hold onto it the way I should have. So I'm giving it back to you now."

"One day, if you're ever ready to give yourself fully again, I hope I'm the one who gets to receive that."

Sophia looked at the ring in her hand. Through it, she could almost feel his warmth.

She gave a quiet smile, said nothing, and tucked the men's ring into her bag.

He wasn't wrong. When she had given the ring, she had meant it as a promise of everything. And now that she was taking it back, that was only fair.

Watching her actually put it away, a shadow passed through Benjamin's eyes. A faint, bittersweet smile touched his lips.

Then Sophia slipped off the ring on her own hand and set it gently in his palm.

"I'm not ready to give you the men's ring yet. And I can't wear the women's one with a clear conscience either."

She held his gaze steadily, and she could see the dimness in his eyes.

"But we have time."

She said it softly, slowly. Even so, something lit up in Benjamin's eyes — hope, coming back to life in that sharp, hawk-like gaze.

He closed his fingers around the ring and held on tight, like he never wanted to let go.

After a long silence, he murmured, "Yeah. We have time."

Sophia smiled, leaned back in her chair, and turned her eyes to the fireworks still blooming over the water. In that moment, all she wanted was to work hard, take in the beauty around her, and live well.

She didn't know how to meet the full weight of Benjamin's love — so she would let time decide.

Whatever the answer turned out to be, they had time. Nothing was certain yet.

Harry appeared out of nowhere and pushed a lush bunch of carnations into Sophia's arms, speaking in his sweet, childlike voice.

"Mommy, I thought about it, and you're still my favorite person in the whole world. Whether you were strict with me or let things slide, it was all because you cared about me."

"Mommy, Harry said things that hurt you and he's sorry. Can you forgive Harry? Can Harry still be your most loved little boy?"

Sophia smiled but didn't answer.

She still felt responsibility toward Harry — but the love that had slipped away was like a love that had faded between two people. Whether it could find its way back was something only time would tell.

She wasn't sure she could open up to Benjamin and Harry the way she once had, without a trace of hesitation. So for now, silence was all she had.

Harry seemed to sense what she was thinking. He hugged her and pressed a small kiss to her cheek, whispering, "Mommy, you don't have to answer right away. I'll show you. I'm going to be the best kid you've ever seen."

Sophia held him close and replied softly, "Okay."

Harry wrapped one arm around Sophia and the other around Benjamin, his face glowing with quiet contentment.

The fireworks above the water kept going, brilliant and alive. A gentle smile stayed on Sophia's face. And just like that, the three of them sat together, watching the fireworks for a long, long time.