Epilogue
ILIAS
Infinito – Eugenio In Via Di Gioia
Two months later
Saying he was nervous was an understatement.
He could hear his heartbeat in his throat and seriously considered running to the bathroom one last time before boarding the boat to the swell.
Recently, life had turned him into a nervous person because it put him to face really important situations—like meeting Emir, his stepbrother and trying to convince him he wasn’t an asshole, or asking Sofia to spend the rest of her life with him.
They were in Fiji to watch Alejandra fight for her second USL title and tie with him. Something she had not stopped reminding him since they had arrived.
“Are you ready?” Sofia asked, appearing from behind the door of the resort where all the athletes were staying.
Alejandra had kindly reserved a room for them, since Ilias had lost his privileges by withdrawing from that year’s competition. Being there and not competing felt weird… but that wasn’t why he was nervous.
“I’m coming,” he replied, checking one last time in his pocket before following her out.
Sofia was wearing that terracotta sundress. The one that drove him absolutely mad. The need to drag her back inside and make love to her again pulsed through him, but he had something far more important to do.
“Are you okay?” she asked, frowning slightly.
“Just nervous for Ale. It’s a big day.”
That seemed to calm her down. She nodded. “Yeah, I’m nervous too. Hopefully she can pull this off.”
“She finished first overall with four events in advance,” he reminded her. “She’s got just one heat to win.”
“Let’s hope she gets it,” Sofia smiled up at him, brighter than the Fijian sun.
As they boarded the boat headed to Cloudbreak, Sofia couldn’t stop looking around, wide-eyed and enchanted.
It was her first time in Fiji, and she was clearly obsessed.
They’d gone diving the day before, and she hadn’t shut up about the fish—especially after seeing a whale shark.
That spark in her voice when she described species he'd never even heard of?
That nerdy wonder made him fall for her all over again.
“I got a call from Asma,” Sofia said suddenly, shaking off her dreamy daze. “They’ve started digging into Neptune and found exactly what they suspected. Thomas used EU funds to finance his own business, and what he was trying to do in Imsouane, leaving the bare minimum for research.”
“Hijo de puta,” he whispered. “That’s amazing news. Is he going to prison?”
Sofia leaned into his chest. “Not yet. But all Neptune’s research has been frozen.”
A thought hit him. “Could you get your research back?”
She shrugged. “No idea. Maybe. Hopefully.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s hope.”
When they reached Cloudbreak, the setup was familiar like Teahupo’o.
Boats bobbed in the water, filled with families, friends, and a few journalists.
One boat housed the broadcast team. He spotted Carlos nearby and exchanged a nod.
Alejandra was stretching, but when she noticed him, she sent a questioning look.
He nodded in return, though panic started creeping into his chest. Why the hell was he so nervous? Why was the thought of asking Sofia to marry him suddenly more terrifying than surfing even Nazaré?
Maybe because it had only been months. Maybe because she was too logical and might say no in front of everyone. Maybe because… he had never wanted something more in his life.
Amira appeared beside him, whispering that everything was ready. He had coordinated with everyone—the USL management, the journalists, even the boat crew.
Everyone had jumped at the chance to be part of the moment. The USL mostly because it was good marketing for them, considering Sofia and him were still the IT couple of the ocean, as someone had said somewhere on the internet. It stuck with him just because it sounded nice.
He thought it’d be the perfect gesture: to ask her on a boat in Fiji, surrounded by the people she loved, and streamed live so that her family and his mother—who had finally met and adored Sofia—could witness it too.
Suddenly, the music shifted. An unmistakable tune played across the water—Creuza de m?, the Italian song Sofia always blasted from the speakers when they drove together. The lyrics were a mystery to him, but the melody had etched itself into his soul.
Sofia stilled, frowning, turning toward him.
And saw him on one knee.
Her big brown eyes widened in disbelief.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, hands flying to her mouth.
“I know it’s a lot. I know it’s been just a few months,” he began, voice trembling as he switched to the Italian sentence Gabriella, Maria and the twins had helped him craft from a distance, “but Sofia Moretti Gómez, I can’t wait another second.
Would you like to spend the rest of your life with me? ”
Her chin wobbled. Her eyes welled up. She dropped to her knees too, arms around his neck, whispering yes so many times it blurred into a single breath.
He slid the pearl ring onto her finger, one she had unknowingly helped him choose with the help of Alejandra, and she cupped his face, smiling through tears.
“How could I not?” she whispered. “You put on Creuza de m?. You did it on a boat, in the middle of this place… Ilias, I love you immensely.”
“And I love you too, Sofia,” he said, voice thick. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Cheers erupted around them. Cameras flashed. People clapped. Somewhere, someone yelled “?Por fin!” Which he truly believed was Alejandra.
He stood, pulling her into his arms, the kiss deep and full of promise.
He might not be competing that day. He might not be taking home a USL title that year. But he had won something far more important.
He had won her heart.
And that had been all he wanted from the start. To stand beside her, not just in paradise, but in life.
Forever.
THE END