Zane had planned it for weeks — nothing too flashy, just something real. Something meaningful. A quiet dinner on the rooftop of his apartment building. Candles. Her favorite meal. A small velvet box hidden in his jacket pocket.
He had imagined a moment filled with quiet tears and soft laughter, maybe a surprised yes whispered against his lips.
What he hadn't imagined was the storm that came instead.
"Wait — you're what?" Lyra's voice cracked with disbelief as she stood across from him, eyes wide, hands frozen in the air like she couldn't decide whether to walk away or throw something.
Zane stayed still, the ring box open in his palm. "I'm asking you to marry me."
"No," she said automatically, backing up. "No. You don't just drop that on me like this. We're not—Zane, we're not even… ready."
He felt his throat tighten. "We've been through everything together. We have a baby, Lyra. I love you. I thought—"
"Don't," she cut in. Her voice trembled now, but it wasn't anger. It was fear. "Don't make this something I have to say yes to just because of a child. That's not fair to either of us."
Zane took a step forward, slowly closing the ring box. "That's not what this is about. I'm not proposing because of the baby. I'm proposing because I want a life with you. With both of you."
Lyra looked away, her jaw clenched. "I don't know how to be someone's wife. I barely figured out how to be someone's… anything."
Zane exhaled slowly. "You don't have to figure it all out tonight. But don't push me away just because it scares you."
She opened her mouth, but the front door opened before she could speak.
A familiar voice called out. "Lyra?"
She turned sharply, confused. "Jared?"
Zane's stomach twisted. Jared — Lyra's ex. The charming, always-at-the-wrong-time ex.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Jared walked in casually, holding a paper bag. "Your mom told me you've been feeling overwhelmed. I figured you could use a friend."
Zane blinked. Her mom told him? Of all the people to show up right now…
Lyra looked from Jared to Zane and back, her expression unreadable.
Jared's eyes finally landed on Zane. "Oh. You're here."
Zane stood tall. "Yeah. I am."
The tension in the room sharpened.
Jared smirked a little, setting the bag down. "I didn't know you were… engaged?"
"We're not," Lyra said quickly. "He just—"
"I proposed," Zane interrupted, voice calm but firm. "Because I love her. Because she's the mother of my child. And because I want to build a real future."
Jared raised an eyebrow. "That's fast. You sure she's ready for all that?"
Zane's fists curled at his sides. "I'm sure she's not the kind of woman you walk in and out of whenever it's convenient."
Jared's expression darkened, but he held up his hands. "Relax. I'm not here to fight."
"Then you can leave," Zane said.
Lyra stood between them, clearly torn. "Stop. Both of you."
The room fell quiet again.
Lyra looked at Zane, then at the closed ring box in his hand.
"I'm not saying no," she said softly. "I'm just saying… not yet. I need space to think. Without anyone pressuring me."
Zane's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "Okay. I'll wait. As long as you need."
She gave him a grateful look. "Thank you."
Jared cleared his throat. "I'll go."
He gave Lyra one last lingering glance — a look Zane didn't like — before slipping out the door.
When they were alone, Zane turned to her. "Do you still want me in your life, Lyra?"
"Yes," she said immediately. "But I need to do it on my own terms. Not because people expect it. Not because of fear or guilt."
Zane stepped closer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay. But know this… I'm not going anywhere. And when you're ready — really ready — I'll still be here."
Lyra nodded, tears quietly gathering in her eyes. "That's all I needed to hear."
After Zane left, the apartment felt too quiet.
Lyra sat on the couch, staring at the unopened ring box still resting on the table. Her thoughts buzzed like static. She had never imagined herself as someone who would be proposed to — not genuinely, not with love behind it.
And yet, Zane had.
He had looked her in the eye and offered a future — no conditions, no ultimatums.
So why did it scare her more than anything?
A knock pulled her from her spiral.
She sighed, already guessing who it was. She opened the door to find her mother standing there with a grocery bag in hand and that guilty look she wore whenever she overstepped.
"You told Jared to come?" Lyra asked before she could say a word.
Her mother winced. "I was worried. You've been distant, stressed… I thought maybe someone familiar—"
"Someone familiar? Mom, Jared is not someone I needed today. Or ever."
Her mom stepped inside. "I didn't know he'd show up while—"
"While Zane was proposing to me?" Lyra snapped, then paused as the words hung in the air.
Her mother blinked. "He proposed?"
Lyra sat down hard on the couch. "Yeah. He did. And I couldn't say yes. I panicked. Like always."
Her mother was quiet for a long moment before sitting beside her. "You know… I was wrong."
Lyra looked over. "About what?"
"About love. I let my fear of being abandoned turn me cold. And I passed that on to you, whether I meant to or not."
The confession stunned her.
Her mother sighed. "You're not me, Lyra. You don't have to run from good things because you're afraid they won't last. Sometimes… they do."
Lyra swallowed, her throat suddenly thick. "What if I mess it up? What if Zane realizes I'm not who he thinks I am?"
"Then let him see the real you," her mother said. "The scared parts. The stubborn parts. If he still stays — that's real love."
Lyra wiped at her eyes. "Why are you being wise now, of all times?"
Her mother smiled. "Because watching you today… I saw myself. And I don't want you to spend years guarding a heart that was meant to be loved."