Page 311 of Ruin Me Gently

She shifted in my arms, turning to face me with a slight frown. “Have what?”

“You,” I said. “I wasn’t supposed to haveyou.”

She snorted. “Please, you say that like I’m some priceless artefact. I’m more like one of those dodgy mystery storage units where you don’t know if you’re getting gold or garbage.”

I huffed a breathless laugh and shook my head. “That’s not what I mean.”

“Whatdoyou mean?” she asked, quieter now.

Her face softened, but there was a crease between her brows, like she was bracing herself. She knew me too well. She could feel the way my chest was tightening, the way my fingers kept flexing like I couldn’t figure out what to do with them.

“Silas…” she murmured, her frown deepening. “What’s going on?”

“I’m getting to it,” I muttered, shifting awkwardly. My hand slipped into my pocket, fingers curling tight around the ring box.

“I’m…” I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. “I’m really bad at this.”

“Bad at what?”

I opened my mouth, but the words jammed up in my throat. My pulse was hammering in my ears, blood roaring loud and relentless.

Just say it.

Her gaze dropped to my pocket, her eyes flickering with something sharp. “Silas…”

“I wasn’t supposed to have you. But I do. And—fuck, I can’t lose you now.”

My heart was slamming so hard it was a miracle my ribs didn’t crack.

Before I even knew what I was doing, I sank to one knee.

Her eyes went wide.

“No,” she said sharply, pointing at me like I was about to commit a crime. “No, no, no. Please, for the love of God, don’t get down on one knee.”

I blinked up at her. “Lilith—”

“Silas, no!” she half-yelled, half-laughed, clearly panicking. Before I could even speak, she dropped to her knees too, landing with an awkward thud right in front of me.

“What are you doing?” I laughed.

“I don’t know!” she shot back, wide-eyed and frantic. “I panicked! Oh my God, get up.”

“Youget up.”

“No,youget up!”

For a second, all that tension cracked wide open and let the air back in. But then my chest squeezed again with that sharp, suffocating feeling. Like I was standing on the edge of something huge. Something I couldn’t mess up.

“I love you,” I said, spilling my heart onto the stone in front of her. “I love you more than I know what to do with. And if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”

Her face softened, her eyes wide and glassy, but her breath hitched like she still wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

I pulled the box from my pocket and flicked it open.

The ring wasn’t flashy—no giant diamond or twisted metal. Just something simple. Something her. An elegant vintage band—silver with tiny dark stones set in the curve. Understated but steady. Beautiful and strong. Just like her.

“Marry me,” I whispered. “Please.”

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