Chapter 121

"Richard, I... I don't know what to say," she stammered, her voice quivering with a mixture of shock and joy. The sight of the stunning ring rendered her speechless. Her mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts, grappling with the enormity of Richard's proposal.

Richard gazed up at her, his eyes filled with hope and love, his palms damp with anticipation.

He held his breath, anxiously awaiting her response, afraid of the possibility that she might reject his proposal.

The gravity of their situation weighed heavily on his mind - becoming parents together had been unexpected, and he feared she might not desire a lifetime commitment after the tumultuous journey they had traveled, marked by the pain he had caused her in the past.

"Richard, yes," she whispered, her voice bringing him back to reality, shattering his doubts.

"Yes, I will marry you," she said happily, her heart soaring with newfound certainty.