Page 243 of Titus

A quiet laugh escaped him. “Padparadscha.” He gently took my hand. “It’s one of the rarest sapphires in the world.”

My eyes dropped back to the ring in the box.

“It means lotus blossom. It is extremely rare, which is why I knew it was for you,” he said.

I brushed another tear away.

“I’ve spent my entire life around rare things, Catalina, but I’ve never met anyone quite like you.” His thumb brushed my knuckles. “The first time I saw this stone,” his eyes held mine, “it reminded me of sunsets and warmth. It reminded me of beauty that somehow never looks exactly the same twice.” He smiled. “It reminded me of you, preciosa.”

I swear my heart forgot how to beat. It was beautiful, but I barely saw it because I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

“Mi amor, I’ve flown across oceans. I’ve stood in palaces, boardrooms, and places people spend their entire lives trying to reach.” His eyes never left mine. “And none of it,” his voice softened, “none of it means anything to me if I don’t get to share it with you.”

I held back the sobs that were threatening to escape, and he laughed.

“I know. I’m making myself emotional, too,” he winked.

Laughter sounded behind us, but I barely heard it.

He looked up at me, his eyes expressing so much love that I swear I could feel it transfer into my soul in that moment.

“I don’t promise you a perfect life. I don’t promise there won’t be difficult days. I don’t promise I won’t make mistakes.” He smiled softly. “But I swear to you that I will choose you first, above everything else, if you’ll allow me to.”

I reached down to his face, gently running my fingers along his cheek.

“Te amo, Catalina.” The words felt like they wrapped around my heart. “I love your kindness. I love your fire. I love your stubbornness. I love everything about the woman you are. For the first time in my life,” his eyes glistened, “I don’t want more years. I simply want whatever years I have left… with you.”

He brought my knuckles to his lips, then looked up at me with sincerity. “Will you marry me, Catalina Veléz, and bring me the greatest honor by becoming my wife?”

I stared at the beautiful Spanish man kneeling before me. I laughed through my tears, then nodded. “Yes,” I choked out. “Oh my God, yes.”

The smile that broke across his face looked like pure joy. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and it was perfect because this had become the most beautiful day of my life.

Funny how life works. One day, I was telling anyone who would listen that fairy tales don’t exist… that men like Titus don’t exist. But now, I was staring down at the most beautiful man I’d ever met, and it turned out he was my Happily Ever After.

He was also proof that I had been wrong. Wrong when I said fairy tales didn’t exist. Wrong when I said men like him weren’t real. He was a reminder to any woman who once shared my views that love like this was possible. That with the right man—the one truly meant for you—such love existed.

Not in movies. Not in fairytales.

In real life… and it could happen to anyone willing to open their heart and trust that it was possible.

I looked out at the ocean. Eterna would leave for the Mediterranean next week. My companies would need me again tomorrow. There would be meetings, flights, problems, deadlines, and all the responsibilities waiting for a man in my position.

But tonight? None of those things mattered. Because the woman beside me had just agreed to become my wife.

I used to think having everything meant money. Success, winning, and building something so large it could never be ignored, but I had been wrong.

I now knew that having everything looked like her.

Against all odds—all the mistakes, timing, and uncertainty—I found her. And thank God fate saw to it that she chose me.

Moonlight spilled across the bedroom while the ocean beyond the windows looked like black silk beneath the stars. Catalina lay tucked against my side, her head resting on my chest and one leg tangled with mine.

It had become our favorite position after spending hours wrapped up in each other, neither of us ready to let go once the night finally slowed down.

I slowly ran my fingers through her hair. Neither of us had spoken for several minutes.

I felt her smile against my skin.