Chapter 15 #3
I stare at my reflection in the mirror and do a small twirl, watching the skirt flare slightly. The dress hugs my curves without being inappropriate, the neckline modest but flattering. The emerald brings out the green flecks in my hazel eyes.
It’s beautiful. And expensive.
I think about my bank account—healthy enough, especially with the salary Alexander pays me.
But half of every paycheck goes straight into Sophie’s college fund, the one I set up the moment I started making real money.
After paying my rent and utilities, I set aside money for my parents’ retirement, then my own savings.
What’s left goes to necessities and the occasional want.
I don’t buy myself expensive clothes. Not because I can’t afford them, but because every dollar feels like it should go somewhere more important. But Alexander… Alexander pays attention. He notices what I like, how I dress, the brands I glance at but never buy. He notices everything.
And somehow that makes my chest ache in a way I’m not prepared for.
I notice a bag beside the bed. Inside are fur-lined ankle boots, and I slip them on. They fit perfectly—comfortable and warm, exactly right for walking in the cold. Shrugging on the coat, the charcoal gray wool settles over my shoulders like it was made for me. Because it probably was.
I grab my phone and check the time again. Five forty-five. Slipping my phone and keys into the coat pocket, I take one last look in the mirror. The woman staring back at me looks confident, beautiful, ready. Like someone who belongs with Alexander Castellano.
I head out into the winter evening.
* * *
Main Street is already alive with Christmas magic.
The sun’s already set, and the town glows like something out of a dream.
Every lamppost is wrapped in evergreen garland strung with thousands of white lights.
Windows glow with festive scenes—miniature trains circling through artificial snow, and glittering snowflakes suspended from awnings.
The massive Christmas tree in the town square towers above everything, its forty feet of lights and ornaments visible from blocks away.
But that’s not what makes me stop and stare.
The festival has transformed the entire downtown.
A Ferris wheel rises against the dark sky, its lights tracing brilliant circles of red and green and gold.
A carousel spins slowly in the park pavilion, its painted horses and sleighs outlined in twinkling bulbs.
There’s a swing ride, and bumper cars, and what looks like a miniature train circling the perimeter of the square.
The air smells like roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate.
Christmas music drifts from speakers, mixing with the delighted shrieks of children and the general hum of the crowd.
I follow the flow of people, looking for Mom or Alexander or any sign of what’s supposed to happen at six. The opening ceremony is at seven—I saw the flyers at Mom’s shop. But Mom mentioned another event, something before the official start.
“Looking for someone, Olivia?”
I turn to find Amber standing behind me, Chase at her side.
She’s dressed to kill in a cream-colored coat, her blonde hair styled in perfect waves.
Chase looks uncomfortable in a sweater and jeans, his hands shoved in his pockets.
But when his eyes land on me, something flickers in his expression.
He stares at me intently, his gaze traveling over the dress, the coat, before quickly looking away.
“Just meeting my family,” I say evenly.
Amber’s eyes travel down my outfit, and I see the flash of envy before she hides it behind a tight smile. “Nice dress. Special occasion?”
“The festival.” I keep my tone neutral, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
“Where’s Alexander?” She says his name casually, like they’re old friends. “Don’t tell me he’s abandoned you already.” Her smile sharpens. “You can join us if you’d like. I’m sure Chase wouldn’t mind.”
Chase clears his throat. “You can come with us.”
I can feel my temper starting to simmer. “Thanks, but Alexander’s meeting me here.”
“Then where is he?” Amber taunts. “Because I can’t see him anywhere.”
Something snaps inside me. “Don’t you get tired of spouting out the same crap over and over again, Amber? What is it? Do you practice your lines in front of the mirror? Because at this point you just sound like some desperate cartoon villain, and it’s embarrassing.”
Amber’s face flushes an angry red. “A man like him will throw you away as soon as he finds someone better. He’s a billionaire, Olivia. He can have any woman he wants. Why would he want a girl like you? You’re just a time pass for him.”
Before I can respond, Sophie appears like a guardian angel, slightly out of breath and grinning.
“Olivia! There you are!” She grabs my arm, then looks at Amber and Chase with undisguised disdain.
“Oh, it’s you two. Olivia, why’re you hanging out with these two losers?
Come on! Alexander’s waiting!” She looks over her shoulder and sneers.
“You’ve got something in your teeth, Amber.
” Sophie tugs me away before Amber can respond.
I let Sophie drag me through the crowd, biting back a laugh. “That was harsh.”
“She deserved it.” Sophie’s eyes are bright with mischief. “Besides, you should see what Alexander has planned. It’s going to make Amber’s entire existence look pathetic.”
My stomach flips. “What do you mean? Sophie, what’s happening?”
But she just grins and pulls me faster, weaving through clusters of families and couples. We pass the carousel and the food trucks and the hot chocolate stand, heading away from the main festival grounds.
“Sophie, where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
We reach the edge of town, where Main Street gives way to the forest that surrounds Silverbell Hollow. There’s a path I’ve never noticed before, marked by a simple wooden archway covered in evergreen boughs and silver bells.
And people are following it. I see neighbors, families, groups of teenagers, all walking down the path with expressions of wonder and excitement.
The path itself is illuminated—not with regular lampposts, but with something ethereal.
Arches of fairy lights span overhead, creating a tunnel of twinkling stars.
And on the ground, something glows with an otherworldly blue light, like bioluminescent algae from those beaches in tropical paradises.
“What is this?” I breathe.
Sophie just grins wider. “Keep walking.”
The forest has been transformed into something from a fairy tale.
The trees are wrapped in lights, their branches hung with crystal ornaments that catch and refract the glow from the path.
More arches span overhead, some made of twisted branches covered in white lights, others of sheer fabric that billows in the gentle breeze.
The blue glow on the ground pulses softly, like the forest itself is breathing.
Music drifts through the trees—something instrumental and beautiful, violins and piano creating a melody that makes my chest ache.
People walk ahead of me and behind me, all of us following this enchanted path deeper into the woods. I hear gasps and murmurs of awe, see children pointing at the lights with wide eyes.
“Sophie,” I say again, my voice barely above a whisper. “What is this?”
“Alexander wanted to make sure no one forgot this night,” she says simply. “Including you.”
The path winds through the trees for what feels like forever but can’t be more than a few minutes. Then it opens into a clearing, and I stop breathing.
The clearing is massive, easily big enough to hold a hundred people.
The ground is covered in something white and soft—not snow, but fabric or petals, something that glows gently in the light from above.
Because overhead, suspended between the trees, is a canopy of lights.
Not just white lights, but every color—silver and gold and emerald and sapphire, all woven together in patterns that look like galaxies and constellations.
Garlands of evergreen and white roses are draped between the trees, creating natural walls around the space.
More crystal ornaments hang from branches, spinning slowly and catching the light.
In the center of the clearing stands a gazebo made entirely of twisted branches and covered in tiny white lights, with sheer white curtains tied back with silver ribbons.
And in the center of that gazebo, wearing a charcoal suit with a black wool overcoat and a silver tie, stands Alexander.
I hear Amber gasp from somewhere behind me.
My legs move on autopilot, carrying me across the glowing ground toward him.
The crowd parts to let me through, and I see them—my parents standing near the edge of the clearing, Mom with tears already streaming down her face, Dad’s arm around her shoulders.
And beside them, Victoria and Jacob Castellano, both watching with looks of anticipation.
Sophie gives me a little shove forward, but all I can see is Alexander. His gray eyes lock on mine, intense and focused, and there’s something in his expression I’ve never seen before. Something vulnerable beneath all that control.
When I reach the gazebo, I see the ring box in his hand.
My heart stops.
“How do you like your surprise?” he murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear over the music and the crowd.
I stare at him, at the ring box, at the hundreds of people gathered in this magical clearing to watch whatever is about to happen. I lean forward slightly, whispering so only he can hear. “A proposal, Alexander? Seriously?” My voice drops even lower. “I’m not going to marry you right now.”
His smile is slow, devastating. “Maybe not right now.” His voice is a low murmur. “But someday you will wear my ring.”
I feel my face turn hot. I should have known Alexander wouldn’t do anything half-assed. When he told me he had a surprise for me, I should have asked him what it was. This is my fault. But I’m not even mad. How can I be? I know what this is. I know what he’s doing.
Amber wanted to humiliate me by having Chase propose publicly, by making me watch while everyone in town witnessed my supposed heartbreak.
So Alexander is proposing first, in a gesture so grand and so public that anything Chase does will look pathetic by comparison.
It’s protective and possessive and absolutely ridiculous. And my heart just falls at his feet.
Alexander drops to one knee, and the crowd collectively gasps.
The music swells. Somewhere in the distance, I hear my mother sob.
He opens the ring box, revealing a ring that makes my breath catch.
It’s emerald, surrounded by diamonds in a platinum setting.
Simple but stunning, exactly what I would have chosen for myself if I ever thought about such things.
“Olivia Hartley,” he says, his voice carrying across the clearing, “will you marry me?”
I lean down slightly, my voice soft enough that only he can hear. “I know this isn’t real.”
His smile is slow, devastating. “We started that way, too, didn't we?”
The words settle over me like snow. Our relationship started as fake, a convenient arrangement to get through the holidays. But it wasn’t fake for him. He’s wanted me for six years. Waited for me. Plotted and planned to make me his.
A flicker of doubt fills me. My eyes narrow slightly as I study his face. My heart skips, then races. The fake relationship became real. So this proposal...
“Are you serious?” I whisper, searching his face.
“It’s whatever you wish it to be, Olivia.” His eyes never leave mine. “But your finger won’t be empty for long. That much I can promise you.”
My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat, in my fingertips, in every nerve ending. This man—this wonderful man—is offering me everything. Not just the ring, not just the proposal. He’s offering me a choice. Agency. The power to decide what this means.
And in this moment, watching him kneel in a clearing he created just for me, surrounded by lights and music and magic, I realize something that terrifies and thrills me in equal measure. I’m not just falling for Alexander Castellano anymore. I’ve already fallen. Completely. Irrevocably. Hopelessly.
“I want a long engagement,” I hear myself say slowly. “A year.”
His smile is absolutely dazzling, more radiant than anything I’ve ever seen. His eyes shine with something that looks like pure joy. “As you wish.”
I hold out my hand, my fingers trembling slightly. “Then, yes.” The word comes out clear and strong, loud enough for everyone to hear. But my eyes are only on Alexander, and he’s all I see, all I hear, all that matters.
He slides the ring onto my finger—a perfect fit, of course—and then he’s standing, pulling me into his arms and lifting me off my feet as his mouth finds mine.
The kiss is deep and possessive and so full of promise that I forget we have an audience.
I forget about Amber and Chase and everyone watching.
All I know is Alexander’s hands on my waist, his mouth on mine, and the absolute certainty settling in my chest that this is right. This is real. This is everything.
When he finally sets me down, I’m breathless and dizzy and happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. I hear my mother crying—full-on sobbing now. I hear applause and cheers from the crowd.
But as Alexander’s arms tighten around me, as he kisses my forehead and whispers something against my hair I don’t quite catch yet feel in every cell of my body, I know I’ve never been happier.
Not when I got my job in New York. Not when I won Holly Queen my senior year.
Not in any of the carefully controlled, perfectly planned moments of my life.
This—right here, in this enchanted clearing in the woods with this man who somehow sees me better than I see myself—this is happiness. And I’m done fighting it.
I tilt my face up, finding his mouth again, and kiss him like we’re the only two people in the world.
Because right now, in this moment, we are. Everything else can wait.