The apartment didn't go silent all at once after all the applause.
It happened gradually like the tide pulling back after a wave had crashed too loudly to last. Laughter softened, applause faded into murmurs. Someone sniffed. Someone else exhaled shakily, as if they'd been holding their breath through the entire moment.
Bella noticed the quiet only when it settled into her bones. She stood near the Christmas tree, her back to the window, her left hand curled loosely against her chest.
The ring caught the light every time she moved, flashing like a reminder she wasn't sure she was ready to look at directly yet.
No matter how hard she tried, somehow, she couldn't help feeling unsteady. Not dizzy unstable or that she was about to faint. It was the type that made her just deeply, profoundly aware that something irreversible had happened.
