Post by Blissful Stories (@Blissful)

BEFORE YOU SAY GOODBYE
EPISODE 7 | THE ENGAGEMENT

Maya couldn't find her voice.
Ethan was still kneeling before her, the velvet box open in his hands. The diamond caught the afternoon sun, but all she could see was the man who had stood beside her.
“Maya?” he asked gently. “You don't have to answer because you feel pressured. I just need you to know I mean every word.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Ethan, I care about you so much.”
“I know. But can you see a future with me?”
She wanted to give him the certainty he deserved. He had offered her kindness without asking for anything in return. Yet the moment she imagined saying yes, Alexander's face appeared in her mind, along with the kiss she had promised herself would mean nothing.
“I don't know what to say,” she whispered.
Ethan's hopeful smile faltered. He lowered the ring box, pain briefly crossing his face.
“Then don't say yes just because you're afraid of hurting me.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't apologize for being honest.” He stood and closed the box. “I hoped you might feel the same way, but I won't turn my love into a debt you have to repay.”
Maya reached for his hand. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
“I know. But I need to know if I'm asking you to build a future with me, or asking you to keep me around while you wait for someone else.”
His words struck deeper than she expected.
Across the street, Alexander had watched everything. He had come hoping Maya might finally let him explain. Then he saw Ethan kneel, saw the ring, and watched Maya struggle to answer.
For the first time since returning, Alexander's confidence disappeared. He had faced his father's threats and carried a secret for five years, convincing himself that thirty days might be enough to repair the damage. But he had no answer for the sight of another man offering Maya the future he had once promised her.
Maya noticed him beside his car. Their eyes met.
Alexander didn't approach. He simply looked at her, his hurt impossible to hide, then turned and got into his car.
“Was that him?” Ethan asked quietly.
“Yes,” Maya replied, still staring at the empty space.
“You should go if you need to.”
“Ethan, I can't leave you like this.”
“You're already somewhere else, Maya.” His voice softened. “Please don't pretend you're here because it's easier.”
She wanted to argue, but she couldn't.
Ethan drove her home later. They talked about ordinary things, carefully avoiding the proposal. Before she got out, he showed her the velvet box once more.
“I asked because I love you,” he said. “Not because I expect an answer today.”
“You deserve someone who can choose you without hesitation.”
“Maybe. But I wanted it to be you.”
Maya stepped out carrying his words like a weight.
By evening, she had changed into a cream blouse and dark trousers, but her thoughts were still tangled. She replayed the proposal and Alexander's wounded expression, knowing her heart could hurt them both.
A knock came at her door.
She opened it and froze.
Alexander stood in the hallway, his dark shirt open at the collar, looking more tired than she had ever seen him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I needed to see you.”
“You saw enough this afternoon.”
His jaw tightened. “Are you going to marry him?”
“I haven't answered him.”
“But you might.”
“Why does that matter to you, Alexander? You disappeared for five years, and now you return expecting me to make room for you as if nothing happened.”
“I never expected that.”
“Then what do you expect? You kiss me, tell me you missed me, then hide the truth whenever I ask why you left. How am I supposed to trust you?”
He lowered his eyes.
“I know I don't deserve to ask you for anything,” he said, “but I need to know one thing.”
Maya folded her arms, trying to protect herself from the look in his eyes.
Alexander stepped closer, leaving her room to walk away.
“Do you love him?”
The question hung between them.
Maya thought of Ethan's kindness and the future he had offered. Then she thought of Alexander, of a love that had survived five years of silence, and of the truth he still refused to share.
She opened her mouth, but no answer came.
“You don't have to say it,” Alexander whispered. “I think I finally understand what I did to you.”
“Alexander…”
“But before you choose him, there's something you need to know about the night I left.”
Maya went still. “What does that mean?”
He reached into his pocket and took out a folded, yellowed letter. Her name was written across the front in his handwriting.
“I should have given you this five years ago.”
She stared at it, afraid to take it.
“If you read this,” he said quietly, “you may never look at me the same way again.”

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