CHAPTER 30
Jul 10, 2025
KAT’S POV
The silver BMW Papa had given me a week ago still felt surreal as I pulled into the parking lot of the venue Sophie had chosen for her birthday party.
It had been his peace offering after our explosive confrontation in his office – a beautiful car that came with no strings attached, no conditions, just an awkward attempt at reconciliation that we were both still navigating.
“Happy birthday, Sophie,” I murmured to myself as I checked my reflection in the rearview mirror one last time.
The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of emotions, conversations with Liam that left my heart racing, and the strange new dynamic between Papa and me as we learned to exist in the same space without constantly fighting.
The venue was a beautiful event space downtown, the kind of place that screamed expensive birthday party courtesy of Sophie’s wealthy parents. I could hear music and laughter spilling out from inside as I approached the entrance, my heels clicking against the pavement.
“Kate! You made it!” Sophie’s voice called out as I stepped through the doors.
But something was wrong. The main room was dimly lit, with most of the guests clustered around the edges of the space. Sophie was nowhere near the center of attention, which seemed odd for a birthday party.
“Sophie, where—” I started to ask, but my words were cut off as a bright spotlight suddenly blazed to life, bathing me in brilliant white light.
My heart started hammering against my ribs as the unexpected illumination made me freeze in place. I couldn’t see past the glare of the light, couldn’t make out the faces of the other guests, couldn’t understand why I was suddenly the center of attention at someone else’s birthday party.
“What’s happening?” I called out, my voice slightly shaky. “Sophie, what’s going on?”
“Trust me,” Sophie’s voice came from somewhere in the darkness beyond the spotlight. “Just trust me.”
My pulse was racing now, a mixture of confusion and genuine fear making my hands tremble. This wasn’t normal.
This wasn’t how birthday parties were supposed to go. Why was everyone watching me? Why was I standing here like some kind of exhibit?
“I don’t understand,” I said, taking a step backward toward the exit. “Someone please tell me what’s happening.”
That’s when he appeared.
Liam stepped into the circle of light, and my breath caught in my throat. He was wearing a dark suit that made his green eyes look impossibly bright, and his usually confident expression was replaced by something vulnerable and nervous that I’d never seen before.
“Kate,” he said softly, his voice carrying clearly in the sudden silence of the room.
“Liam?” I whispered, my heart now beating so fast I thought it might burst. “What are you doing here? What is this?”
Instead of answering, he slowly dropped to one knee in front of me, and I heard a collective gasp from the guests watching from the shadows. My hands flew to my mouth as I realized what was happening, what he was about to do.
“You asked for time,” he said, his voice steady despite the emotion I could see in his eyes. “And I gave it to you. These past few weeks, I’ve watched you work through everything that happened between us, everything with your father, everything with Nate. I’ve waited and hoped and tried to prove that what I feel for you is real.”
“Liam,” I breathed, tears already starting to gather in my eyes.
“But I can’t wait anymore,” he continued, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small velvet box. “I can’t keep pretending that I’m okay with this uncertainty, that I’m fine with not knowing where we stand.”
He opened the box, and I gasped at what I saw inside. It was a necklace, delicate and beautiful, with a diamond pendant that caught the spotlight and threw rainbows across the floor between us.
“Kate Melnyk,” he said, his voice rough with emotion, “will you be my girlfriend?”
The room was completely silent except for the sound of my own rapid breathing. I could feel dozens of eyes watching us, waiting for my answer, but all I could see was Liam kneeling in front of me with his heart laid bare.
“I know it’s complicated,” he continued when I didn’t immediately respond. “I know your father might disapprove, I know there are still things we need to work through, I know this won’t be easy. But Kate, I love you. I love your strength and your talent and your stubbornness and the way you make me want to be better than I am.”
“Liam,” I whispered again, my voice breaking.
“And I love the way you look at me like I’m worth loving, even when I don’t feel like I am.”
Tears were streaming down my face now, and I could hear someone in the crowd sniffle emotionally.
“So what do you say?” Liam asked, holding up the necklace. “Will you take a chance on us? Will you let me spend however long you’ll have me proving that this is real?”
I looked down at him, this boy who had been so cruel to me when we first met, who had fought his feelings for me so hard that he’d made both our lives miserable, who was now kneeling in front of a room full of people and offering me his heart.
“Yes,” I whispered, so quietly I wasn’t sure he’d heard me.
“What?” he asked, hope flickering in his eyes.
“Yes,” I said louder, my voice gaining strength even as the tears continued to fall. “Yes, Liam, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
The room erupted in cheers and applause, but I barely heard it over the sound of my own heartbeat as Liam stood up and moved to fasten the necklace around my throat. His fingers were gentle against my neck, and when he stepped back to look at me, his smile was brighter than the spotlight still shining down on us.
“Really?” he asked, like he couldn’t quite believe it.
“Really,” I confirmed, reaching up to touch the diamond pendant. “But if you ever surprise me like this again without warning me first, I’m going to kill you.”
He laughed, the sound rich and warm and full of relief. “Deal. Though I have to say, Sophie was very insistent that this was the only way to get you to stop overthinking long enough to give me an answer.”
“Sophie planned this?” I asked, looking around for my friend.
“Guilty!” Sophie called out from somewhere in the crowd. “Happy birthday to me, and congratulations to you!”
“This is your birthday party,” I protested, suddenly feeling guilty for stealing her spotlight.
“Are you kidding?” Sophie laughed. “This is the best birthday present ever. I gotta watch my best friend get asked out by the guy she’s been pining over for months.”
“I haven’t been pining,” I said indignantly, but I was smiling through my tears.
“You absolutely have been pining,” Nate said, stepping into the light with a grin. “We all noticed.”
I looked at him, this boy who had been my fake boyfriend, who had hurt me and apologized and somehow became one of my closest friends despite everything we’d been through.
“You’re okay with this?” I asked quietly.
“More than okay,” he said, nodding encouragingly. “Kate, you deserve to be happy. And if my brother makes you happy, which, despite his many character flaws, he clearly does, then I’m happy for both of you.”
“Character flaws?” Liam protested. “I’m standing right here.”
“We know,” Nate said with a smirk. “That’s what makes it so fun.”
I looked up at him, this person who knew me better than I sometimes knew myself, who had seen me at my worst and somehow still wanted to be with me.
He leaned in and his lips met mine, surrounded by the warmth and laughter of friends who cared about us, and I realized that for the first time in my life, I felt completely, utterly, perfectly happy.
THE END.
