Page 111 of Maddening Fixation

“But I also know I don’t want another day to pass without telling you how I feel.”

He drew a slow breath.

“You make my life brighter. You challenge me. You make me want to become a better man. I don’t care about your family’s reputation. I don’t care about the danger. I only care about you.”

He held out the ring.

“Juliet Sokolov...”

A gentle breeze stirred the trees surrounding the estate.

Everything else faded into silence.

“Will you marry me?”

The entire scene felt so surreal that, for one ridiculous moment, I wondered if I was trapped inside some twisted comedy instead of my own life.

My hands were still stained with Romeo’s blood.

My clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin, stiff with drying crimson.

And standing in front of me, on one knee beneath the lights of the Sokolov estate, was Egor... the same Egor who had never once asked me out, never once talked about us being anything more than friends—yet somehow he was now holding out a ring and asking me to marry him.

As if we had ever crossed that line between friendship and something more.

Was this really how he thought it worked?

I stared at him in stunned silence before letting out a short, humorless laugh.

“Is this some kind of joke?”

My voice came out flatter than I intended. “If it is, it’s a very expensive joke.”

I glanced at the diamond ring sparkling beneath the estate lights.

“And one with absolutely terrible timing.”

Egor didn’t move.

His hand remained extended, the velvet box balanced carefully in his palm.

“It’s not a joke.”

His voice was gentle, almost pleading.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything.”

I rubbed a hand across my forehead, only remembering too late that it was still smeared with blood.

The metallic scent filled my senses again.

My voice remained calm.

“Stand up.”

He hesitated. “You haven’t answered.”

His eyes searched mine, as if hoping to find the response he wanted.