49. Mariana
Mariana
T he drive to the lake is easy, the winding road flanked by towering pines, their scent mingling with the crisp morning air. The distant shimmer of water peeks through gaps in the trees, a quiet promise of the day ahead.
Sunlight filters through the branches, casting shifting patterns across the dashboard — golden light that makes everything feel softer, slower.
In the backseat, Maya swings her legs, unable to keep still, her tiny hands clutching her backpack like it holds something precious.
Every so often, she bounces a little, barely containing her excitement, and I catch her in the mirror, her face alight with anticipation. It’s impossible not to smile.
"You’re really excited for this adventure, huh?" I tease, glancing back at her.
Maya gasps dramatically. "Yes! But no questions, Titi Mari! It’s a secret adventure!"
Sebastian chuckles beside me, shaking his head, his fingers tapping absently against the steering wheel.
He’s been quiet since we left, but it’s not the kind of quiet that makes me uneasy.
It’s easy, settled, yet beneath it, something hums, something just beneath the surface that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Maya, for one, hasn’t stopped giggling. She tries to stifle it, pressing her lips together, but every few minutes, another little burst of laughter escapes, like she’s carrying some secret too big to keep in.
I glance at Sebastian, but he keeps his eyes on the road, his fingers tightening briefly on the wheel before relaxing again, his jaw ticking like he’s fighting the urge to smile.
Something feels… different. Not wrong, not unsettling, just—charged. The air crackles around me, sending a shiver down my spine, my skin prickling with something I don’t quite understand.
It’s like standing on the edge of a moment I don’t yet know is coming, like a shift is about to happen and I’m the only one who hasn’t been let in on it. I push the thought aside as we pull up to the lake. When suddenly, I see it…
My breath catches. My heart slams against my ribs, hard and fast, as the world narrows down to the scene in front of me. I freeze, my mind struggling to make sense of what’s right there—waiting for me.
The lake is stunning, as always, the water reflecting the sunlight in golden ripples, shifting and glimmering like liquid light.
The air smells crisp, clean, tinged with pine and the faint scent of blooming wildflowers.
But none of that is what steals my breath away. It’s everything around the lake.
String lights are woven between the trees, delicate and twinkling even in the daylight, as if the stars themselves have been pulled down just for this moment. They guide the way, a glowing path toward the water’s edge.
And there, standing against the backdrop of the endless sky and shimmering lake, is a wooden arch draped in soft, flowing fabric that catches in the breeze. It’s adorned with roses, lilies, and delicate white blooms that look almost too perfect, like something out of a dream.
Just beyond it, nestled in the sand, is a picnic blanket, carefully arranged with flickering lanterns casting soft, golden light over everything.
A chilled bottle of champagne sits in an ice bucket, tiny beads of condensation glistening in the sun. A small speaker plays softly, the familiar melody curling around me like something warm and safe, something that makes my chest tighten in a way I don’t fully understand yet.
And then...there’s them.
Anna. Analyse. Mateo. Ruth. Hilda. Andres. Nathan. Our people. All standing there, waiting. A lump forms in my throat as my eyes dart between them, confusion crashing through me.
“What…” My voice comes out barely above a whisper, shaking. “What’s everyone doing here? I turn to Sebastian, searching for answers, and my world tilts, because he’s not standing beside me anymore…He’s kneeling.
The breath rushes out of my lungs so fast I feel lightheaded. Sebastian is down on one knee, the sunlight catching in his dark hair, casting soft glints of gold.
His eyes are locked onto mine, deep and intent, holding me in place as if nothing else in the world exists. But my gaze drops to what he’s holding.
A small velvet box and inside—my mother’s ring. The same ring my father gave her all those years ago. A sob breaks free before I can stop it, my hands flying to my mouth, my entire body trembling.
Sebastian’s voice is even, but emotion clings to every word, thick and unshaken. “When your mom gave me this ring,” he says softly, his fingers tightening around the velvet box, “she told me it belonged with you. That one day, when the time was right, I’d know.”
He exhales, slow, measured, but I can see the way his chest rises just a little too fast, the way his jaw flexes as he swallows hard. His grip on the box tightens, like he needs to ground himself, like this moment is as overwhelming for him as it is for me.
“Mariana,” he continues, his voice dipping lower, rougher, “I knew the moment you walked back into my life that I was never letting you go again. But the truth is… I knew long before that. I knew from the moment I met you.” He lets out a soft, almost breathless laugh, shaking his head slightly.
“And then I made the mistake of letting you leave.” His eyes lock onto mine, steady, unyielding, filled with everything he’s never said aloud.
“The moment you walked back into my life, I promised myself I wouldn’t make that mistake again.”
His words land deep, settling into the very core of me, unraveling something I didn’t even realize I’d been holding onto.
The world around us fades—just the two of us, the lake stretching behind him, the sky wide and endless above.
Tears slip down my cheeks, my vision blurring.
Sebastian smiles—crooked, nervous, perfect—the kind of smile that’s always felt like home. But this time, there’s something else woven into it, something deeper—vulnerability, a love so big it barely fits inside him.
“We’ve taken our time,” he says, his voice thick with emotion, filled with every battle we’ve fought, every scar we’ve mended, every piece of us that we’ve rebuilt. “We’ve learned each other again. We’ve grown together. And through it all, Mariana, I’ve never stopped choosing you.”
His thumb brushes over the edge of the ring box, a tiny, unconscious movement, like he’s holding something sacred in his hands—like he’s holding us. He exhales, his breath shuddering just slightly before he continues, softer now, but with a certainty that settles deep into my bones.
“I know what it’s like to lose you, Mariana.” His gaze locks onto mine, unguarded, stripped bare, filled with the weight of the years we spent apart, the ache of every moment we weren’t this.
“I know what it’s like to wake up every day with an emptiness that nothing could fill.
To carry your name in my chest like a prayer I wasn’t sure would ever be answered.
” His fingers tighten around the box, knuckles paling as he swallows hard.
“And now that I have you, now that I have this second chance, I’m never making that mistake again. Never.”
His voice dips lower, raw, trembling with the depth of what he feels. “I don’t ever want to live in a world where you’re not by my side. Not for a second, not for a day, not for a lifetime.”
He shifts, steadying himself on one knee, his free hand reaching for mine, his touch warm, solid, grounding me when I feel like I might float away under the weight of this moment.
“You are my heart, mi vida—my home, my safest place. You are the love I have never, not for one second, stopped believing in, and I want forever with you. If you let me, I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that love like ours doesn’t fade, doesn’t break, doesn’t end.
” His thumb strokes over my fingers, his grip unwavering.
“So what do you say, princesa?” His voice is barely more than a whisper now, but it holds everything. Every promise, every memory, every piece of him that has ever belonged to me. “Marry me?”
It’s not just a question. It’s a promise. A forever. A love story written between every glance, every touch, every moment that led us to this.
My heart slams against my ribs, my entire body trembling from the weight of this moment, from the sheer force of him. The way he’s looking at me, like I’m it for him, like I have been since the very beginning nearly brings me to my knees.
For a moment, I am still, frozen between the past and the future, between the love we lost and the love we found again. This is everything.
The boy who once held my heart. The man who never let it go. The one who fought for me, even when I couldn’t fight for myself. My best friend. My home. And the ring—Mami’s ring. She knew. She always knew.
A shaky laugh tumbles out, tangled with my tears. I don’t think, I just move, dropping to my knees in front of him, my hands find his face, cupping it, grounding myself in the warmth of him, the realness of him—of this, of us.
“Yes,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Sebastian lets out a breath of relief, something like a choked laugh, something full of so much love I feel it in my bones.
He slides the ring onto my finger, his hands shaking as much as mine, and the second it’s in place, I launch myself into his arms, knocking him back into the sand as our friends erupt into cheers around us.
His mouth finds mine, a kiss full of promise, of forever, of every moment we’ve ever lost and every moment we’ll have ahead.
And in the middle of it all, Maya squeals, clapping her hands. “BEST. ADVENTURE. EVER!”