DAMIR
I've always imagined how I would do it. How I would look Eli in the eyes and ask him to be mine forever. But for some reason, every version I ever imagined fell short of what I wanted it to be, because none of them felt big enough, none of them felt like enough.
Eli had been through so much. Pain, rejection, abandonment, betrayal, trauma… yet he still loved like his heart wasn't broken. He still smiled like his soul wasn't scarred. He deserved the world and even that sometimes felt like it wouldn't be enough.
So I decided to give him something more.
It started with an idea. A proposal, yes. But not just a ring and a question. I wanted to give him the kind of day he would never forget. The kind of memory that would carry him through any dark night. I wanted it to feel like magic.
And I needed everyone who mattered to him to be there. So I reached out.
His dad again because he had recently come back into his life, and despite everything, they were trying. I knew that Eli, deep down, wanted his father there. Then Lian. Eli's annoying, dramatic, overly sarcastic best friend who had become a permanent fixture in our home despite every attempt I'd made to scare him off, didn't last after the argument with Eli by the way.
I called them together secretly.
With their help and that of the workers, we got to work.
The garden behind the mansion was transformed. Lanterns floated above like stars brought to earth. A soft path of rose petals led to a white archway twinkling with fairy lights. Beneath the arch: the setup. A soft rug. Petals scattered. Candles. Champagne. The night sky. And silence the kind that wraps around your soul like a warm blanket.
And still, Eli had no idea.
He'd been distracted for days. The drama and distance he had with his dad, the argument with Lian, my own recent distance… he had too much going on to remember what day it was. He didn't even realize it was his birthday.
I almost felt bad.
Almost.
Because when he walked into my study that evening his hair still a bit messy from sleep, wearing one of my big sweatshirts, he didn't know what was waiting for him. He curled up beside me like he always did, hugging me tightly, muttering something about how cold the room was.
"You're warm," he said, eyes half closed.
I smiled. My hands reached up to play with his curls. "Eli."
"Hmm?"
"Come with me. I want to show you something."
He blinked up at me, confused. "Now? Can't it wait till morning?"
"No."
"Damir…" He was whining now.
"Trust me."
That got him moving.
He followed me outside, grumbling under his breath the entire way. But the moment we stepped out into the garden, everything stopped.
He gasped.
The lights. The music. The petals. The warm breeze. The people waiting beneath the arch.
Lian waved like a madman.
Juseon stood a little stiff, but his eyes were soft.
Eli froze.
He turned to look at me, mouth parted. "What… what is this? What's going on?"
I reached for his hands, pulled him gently toward the center.
"Eli… do you know what today is?"
He blinked. "Today? I don't know… Thursday?"
I laughed. I couldn't help it. "Baby. It's your birthday."
His eyes widened. "No way… I…"
"You forgot. I know. You've been through a lot. And I didn't want to remind you until I could do it right."
He looked around again, still in shock. "This is for me?"
I stepped back, pulled a small velvet box from my pocket, and knelt.
He gasped again….louder this time. He covered his mouth with both hands, tears already pooling in his eyes.
"Eli," I said, voice shaking, "you walked into my life at a time I didn't even know I needed someone. You opened parts of me I never thought existed. You taught me softness. You gave me color. You made me human. And now, I want to give you everything I have."
I opened the box.
The ring caught the light, a sapphire stone, his favorite, surrounded by diamonds, set in a custom platinum band.
"Will you marry me? Will you become Eli Volkov, not just by name… but by heart?"
He didn't say anything.
He just fell to his knees in front of me.
And sobbed.
Lian was crying. Loudly.
Juseon looked like he was trying not to.
The maids and guards plus my few company employees was already clapping.
Eli finally nodded through the tears. "Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, Damir. I love you so much."
We hugged. I lifted him into my arms and spun him around like some cheesy movie scene. He buried his face in my neck and kept saying, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
But it wasn't over.
I led him to the large velvet curtain draped near the back of the garden.
"You thought the ring was your only gift?"
He blinked. "There's more?"
I pulled the curtain.
Behind it stood a team of assistants holding up signs and keys. Two cars. A private jet. Deeds to lands and two new companies registered in his name. Clothing lines. An art gallery. A luxury spa resort. Everything.
"Welcome to the Volkov family," I whispered. "These are just to say… you're home now. And you'll never wait for anything again."
He fell to the ground.
And wailed.
Ugly sobs. Loud. Shaking. Body trembling from the emotion. Lian rushed over to hug him. Juseon placed a hand on his shoulder. Lian handed him tissues and told him to cry like a rich boy.
He just kept crying.
"I love you," I whispered into his hair.
"I love you more," he whispered back.
The stars above us witnessed everything.
And I knew at that moment I had made the right decision.
Eli Volkov.
Forever mine.