Chapter 53
Ciara was a bit starstruck by the sudden confession Callum had made. It was very different from the first time he asked her about marriage. This time, he was sincere and gentle.
“I really want you more than what you think,” he whispered, sliding his hand at the side of her waist.
Ciara’s heart was thumping. For the days that Callum has been persistent with her, as they would make love as well, sometimes she would hold onto that little chance that they could work out again.
Or maybe it was really her dream from the past that she badly wanted to have, and she couldn’t grasp it no matter how she tried. During that time, Shane suddenly showed up, and now Callum seems to be walking back to her.
Ciara couldn’t move as her eyes wandered and she noticed how much Callum put some thought into the design because he even put the picture frame of their photos back when they were in Paris, France.
It was like he was trying to make her dream come true from the past. And this time, he was serious with her to become not just a husband but a father of their kids.
“I’ve been thinking about it since the day I lost you. And… the moment I’ve seen you speak with a man. It made me see how I don’t want you to be falling in love with someone else. That I don’t want you for anyone, but only for myself. And I don’t want to give the other man some chance in your life if I didn’t take a risk with this,” Callum said carefully as his hand slowly held her hand
Clara was now completely with Callum, who was seriously looking into her eyes like she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen. And he doesn’t want anyone but her
“Clara, Ciara Sullivan,” he uttered as he took something out of his pocket
When Ciara saw the small red box and Callum slowly get into his knee, her eyes widened. He opened the box until the diamond of the engagement ring sparkled.
“Please accept my love again. Please spend your lifetime with me. Please marry me for real. Let me make it up to you. Let me prove to you that I want you more than what you think. And I want to build another life with you. With our daughter, and with our future big family”
Ciara’s stomach was continuously churning as she was having some chills from the words.
“I could not bring back the time anymore, but I could erase those painful memories you had with me and replace them with something you deserve,” he said as he continuously lifted his head to look at her.
“I am only in love with you, and you are the only woman I want in my life. Ciara. Nothing more,” he stated softly, which made Clara’s shoulder loosen.
Her eyes became so blurry that she knew her tears would fall uncontrollably. Despite the pain, despite the doubts she had from the previous days, to see Callum kneeling in front of her felt like it was like a fairytale movie to see him proposing to her because he was in love with her.
“You can say no in the meantime if you aren’t ready yet, Ciara. But this…is a devotion I wanted to show to you that I am ready to marry you. I am now ready to spend my life with you. And no one could ever change my mind about it.”
Her mind was just thinking about Cara. Though they were scheduled to talk on Monday, which was two days more, she felt like she would betray her daughter for saying yes to hirn right then without even patching things up first with Cara and Callum
“I will give you the answer once you talk to Cara, and I want to involve our daughter here.”
“Yes, Cara. I just want to give you an assurance so you will stop doubting me. If you think that I am doing this to manipulate you, then always remember that I will kneel just for you.”
Her shoulder loosened. She would admit she was still having some doubts that Callum might be just doing things on behalf of Shane, who was still her major problem, but because of what he did–kneeling in front of her, showing her that he could
Chapter 331
marry him anytime and that he wanted a serious relationship with him–her doubts slowly faded.
Callum kept the ring for a while, which Ciara secretly wanted to wear but controlled herself as she didn’t want to take things so
fast.
And Callum was content with the assurance she gave her. He is serious with them.
She started roaming around the living room as she was having fun looking at the area. She could vividly imagine a life with Callum. But her daughter wants them to go back to Paris.
“Cara wants to go back to Paris,” she reminded. “I cannot change that. It is what she wants.”
Callum nodded. “I won’t waste this chance she has given me to talk to her. I will sort this out. I know that she has a bad image of me, and I am willing to prove that her judgments about me were wrong.”
Ciara was a bit relieved by how Callum gave him enough assurance, unlike in the past, when she seemed to be almost begging for it, expecting Callum to love her in return.
She was also toured around on the second floor, which was the bedrooms, as he showed the master’s bedroom, where she saw their frames too.
“When did you put the photos?” she asked when she walked to the bedside table and looked at the photo she had with Callum from the past.
“The moment I renovated this, you see, I was so mad at you for filing a divorce and choosing to leave, and yet, I couldn’t take you out of my system.
Ciara glanced at him. “Why didn’t you marry Shane instead?”
He shrugged. “I just cared for her. That’s all. But I can’t really see her as my wife.
She arched her brow. “She was your only girlfriend, right? Your first love,” she taunted the last two words.
Callum licked his lips. They haven’t been talking about Callum’s past self, especially about relationships, since the past because Callum is just dodging about his love life, which she didn’t answer in the past either.
“I was so young back then. You can call it just part of being a teenager.” He shrugged.
“So she’s your first love?” Ciara confirmed, and her eyes seemed to be judging her.
“We became lovers, yes, and split up for some reason.”
“What reason?” she asked.
Callum licked his lower lip again, like he was having a hard time talking about it.
“Long distance.”
Ciara could say he was really too young those days because Callum doesn’t care about long distances now. It seems like he could even travel every day from any country as long as he wants.
“Your first heartbreak?” She asked, curious that Callum was now talking casually about his past.”
“Believe me or not, my heartbreak was the unexpected filing of divorce.”
Ciara looked at him cluelessly. She never thought that the divorce hurt Callum somehow, because she felt like he was expecting Callum to want a divorce.
“I was in denial of those times. So when it dawned on me that you might be with someone else already, I just held onto the slim chance that you might come back and take it back, but I was too angry to digest it fully, and I was hurting too. Or maybe I was more angry than acknowledging how badly it hurt for me to hold some grudge against you.”
She couldn’t say anything. She might have been in a tough battle as well, but she doesn’t want to disregard Callum’s pain
Chapter 53
“I’m…” She looked at him sincerely. “Sorry for lying.”
Callum’s eyes widened a bit, shocked by her sudden apology, which he didn’t expect knowing how tough Ciara is as a woman. She is like an alpha who has never tasted defeat in her whole life, and she radiates that confidence in herself that she will always get what she wants in life.
“I didn’t mean to lie about my life, but I have no intention of using it against you. It was still me, whom you met in the past. didn’t fake myself in your eyes. I just needed to hide my identity because it was so confidential, and we are highly trained not to be so open about being a Sullivan, or else I would put myself in danger.”
Callum nodded slowly. “I understand, Ciara. But I also want you to know that I like every version of you, whether it was the Ciara who was living a simple life or the Ciara behind her billionaire clan.”
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