Chapter 585
Chapter 585:
“Skye,” Alistair said, his voice thick with emotion. “We’ve been through hell. We’ve fought ghosts, and monsters, and the past p>
He dropped to one knee.
Skye gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
Alistair pulled out a ring. It wasn’t a massive diamond like the one Liam had given her—cold and heavy.
It was a pink diamond, rare and warm, set in rose gold.
“I know we are already promised,” Alistair said, looking up at her with eyes that held the promise of a thousand tomorrows. “But that promise was made in the shadow of war. Today, I want to make a new one. In the light. Let’s set the date, Skye. Let’s start living p>
Skye looked at the ring. Then at the garden Liam had built as a goodbye. Then at Alistair, the man who had stayed. She realized she could love the memory of what Liam could have been, while fully loving the man Alistair was.
“Yes,” Skye whispered. “Yes p>
Alistair stood and kissed her. It was a kiss that tasted of sunlight and roses and victory.
Somewhere in a concrete cell, Liam Kensington looked up from his book. A ray of sunlight hit the floor. He smiled, turned the page, and kept reading.
It was finished.
The morning sun didn’t just rise; it spilled over the horizon like molten gold, flooding the master bedroom of the Thorne estate with a warmth that felt almost intrusive after the cold wars of the past season. Skye Sterling lay tangled in the high-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, her left hand raised against the stream of light.
The pink diamond on her finger caught the sun. It fractured the beam into a thousand tiny rainbows that danced across the ceiling.
She stared at it. The weight on her finger was a physical anchor, grounding her in a reality she was still afraid to trust. It had been a month since the dust settled, yet the transition was jarring. Yesterday, in her mind, she had been a warrior fighting for her life. Today, she was a fiancée. The shift was like stepping off a high-speed train onto a still platform; her inner ear was still adjusting to the lack of motion.
“Stop overthinking it,” a voice rumbled from the pillow beside her.
𝖱𝗈𝗆𝘢nс𝘦 ո𝘰𝗏𝘦l𝘴 o𝗻 be𝘭n𝘰𝗏𝘦𝗹ѕ.𝘤𝗼𝘮
Skye turned. Alistair Thorne was awake, watching her with eyes that were usually the color of a stormy sea but now looked like calm waters. His hair was messy, a rare sight for the man who usually wore armor in the form of Italian suits.
“I’m not overthinking,” Skye lied, lowering her hand. “I’m just… admiring the engineering p>
Alistair reached out, his large hand enveloping hers. His thumb traced the band of the ring, sending a shiver up her arm that settled pleasantly in her chest.
“It’s not engineering, Skye. It’s a promise. Do you know how hard it is to find a pink diamond that doesn’t look tacky p>
Skye laughed, the sound rusty in her throat. “I imagine you threatened a few jewelers p>
“I negotiated,” he corrected, pulling her closer until her head rested on his chest. She could hear the steady, rhythmic thump of his heart. It was a slow, powerful beat—the engine of a machine that had destroyed her enemies to keep her safe. “And now, we rest. No more Lucian. No more Beatrice. Just us p>
“And Liam?” Skye asked softly.
The name hung in the air, heavy and complicated.
Alistair’s heartbeat didn’t skip, but his muscles tightened imperceptibly beneath her cheek. “He made his choice, Skye. He’s paying his debts. He’s safe where he is. I have double shifts guarding his cell block p>
Before Skye could respond, the heavy oak door of the bedroom creaked open. They both tensed instinctively—old habits died hard—but it was only Felix. The usually stoic head of security looked uncomfortable, holding a wicker basket that seemed to be vibrating.