Nala's head spun. Today had been too much, first the attack of the Leviathan, then being saved by a man who died and returned before her eyes, then blurting out in her panic that she wanted to bear his children, only for him to seize upon it and pursue her relentlessly.
Now, as if the gods themselves were playing tricks, he was down on one knee, holding out a ring of impossible beauty.
It was dizzying. It was overwhelming. Part of her wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and forget the world for a few hours. But she couldn't, not when Cassius was kneeling there, looking at her with such earnestness.
He wasn't joking. She could see it in his eyes.
And from the bottom of her heart, she was happy, so happy she thought she might burst. No one had ever gone this far for her, no one had ever made her feel so wanted. That ring gleamed like a dream she thought she would never touch.
