Chapter 181

• VALENTINA
• Sunlight poured through the large windows of the guest suite and fell across the plush bed in warm patches. I stirred awake slowly, the sheets soft against my skin. My hand lifted from the pillow on its own. The diamond caught the light and threw tiny sparks across the ceiling. I stared at it. Turned my hand. Watched the colors shift. A rush of joy hit me hard, followed by butterflies that fluttered low in my stomach. Last night replayed in my head like something from a dream I never thought I’d get. Gustavo on one knee. The ring box open. His voice steady when he said he loved me. Fireworks cracking overhead. My whispered yes. His mouth on mine. It felt too big. Too good. I told myself it was just the high from the moment. But the ring was real. Heavy on my finger. Proof that he meant it.
• I pushed the covers back and slipped into the robe hanging on the chair. Soft cotton. Belt tied loose. I padded to the bathroom. Stood in front of the mirror. My cheeks were flushed. Eyes wide. Happy. Nervous. Pride whispered in the back of my mind. Told me to slow down. To guard myself. I’d spent so long keeping walls up. But the excitement wouldn’t listen. It bubbled anyway. I splashed water on my face. Brushed my teeth. Tried to steady the flutter in my chest. I wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet. Not even to myself. But I couldn’t deny how deep it went.