The garden stretched out perfectly arranged behind her. Taylor had just spent hours recording a podcast with her boyfriend—hours pretending once again that she was in love, that she was happy. In her mind, it was the small price she had to pay for success and the version of happiness the world had decided was meant for her.

After the recording, Travis invited her to dinner. She felt a knot tighten in her throat as she forced herself to say yes. She knew you were in the city, working on your own project, and her eyes kept wandering, desperate for the smallest sign of your presence… but none ever came.

When they returned home, Travis led her out into the garden—neatly kept, full of flowers. After a speech she didn’t even register, she saw him drop to one knee and reveal a small box, the diamond ring within catching the light. Her immediate reaction was silence. Then her gaze flicked to the sides, searching for a reason, an excuse—any sign that escaping would be allowed.

The first thing she saw was a photographer, his camera firing relentlessly, capturing moment after moment as if oblivious to the storm tearing her apart—or worse, fully aware and savoring the spectacle of her unraveling. Off to the side stood Travis’s father, smiling smugly, as if he had just laid the perfect trap, the one that would make him rich by association.

And then, like a sudden burst of light, she saw you. In the distance, wearing the same floral dress from the very first time you met. Your smile was heavy with sadness, yet you tried to mask it with a fragile joy for her sake. In your hands, a bouquet, as though you were ready to congratulate her. The setting sun bathed you in golden light, a halo crowning you like some divine sign—the very signal she had been waiting for. And in that moment, she knew exactly what she had to do.