Chapter 7 of Starting Over After My Husband's Lies

RACHEL:

"This is beautiful," I muttered to myself as the fireworks lit up the sky, exploding into bursts of gold and crimson.

Cheers erupted around me and I could hear the sound of glasses clinking as the party carried on. This grand elegance was made by just one man — Daniel.

It was the perfect moment for me. The right atmosphere. I didn't know how much I needed to have myself lingering in this feeling until this happened.

It was for me and me alone. Daniel made sure that everything that happened in the past year didn't get to me. He only wanted to make me happy and he was doing a great job at that.

"Rachel..."

I heard my name and turned only to see Daniel down on one knee. Immediately, the world around me faded.

I knew what was about to happen. And right now, I wasn't sure how to feel. Overwhelmed? Excited? Hell, I don't know.

"Rachel," Daniel called my name again, his voice steady despite the anticipation in his eyes. "I don't just want to be the man who helps you forget your past. I want to be the man who builds your future."

This was never the plan. Never ever.

My heart clenched. I could feel my mind racing as different things went through it.

This was a proposal. And not just any proposal, it was a grand one.

When I said this wasn't the plan, it was bent on the fact that I had promised myself that I wouldn't let another man dictate my happiness. I promised myself that I wouldn't fall into someone else's plans before I had finished making my own.

Standing here and staring down at Daniel, doubt crept in. Daniel had always been there for me even though we started off as business partners. He stood by me during all of the drama with Austin. He has been like a rock for me.

The word left my lips before I could stop it: "Yes."

I couldn't believe I just said that. I really couldn't. But why did it feel so true? Why was I certain of that response?

A roar of applause suddenly erupted around us, consuming the rest of my thoughts in the process. Daniel slipped the ring onto my finger and then pulled me into his arms as he stood up.

The embrace was warm and I felt safe in it. Safer than I've always been. Maybe it was because I was sure that Daniel wasn't going to hurt me. I just knew he wouldn't.

For now I was going to linger in this moment of happiness. I knew my decision was the right one.

_________

I should have known the happiness wouldn't last for long. Austin would always find a way to ruin it no matter what.

I returned home the next morning to the apartment i got for myself. It was a decision I acted on as soon as I got back from Paris. I didn't want to be around Austin anymore and so I got myself something small for a start.

When I got down from the taxi that dropped me off, I looked up to see something strange. Austin was sitting on the walkway into the apartment, his gaze boring into me as soon as he saw me.

How did he find this place out? I kept it hidden from him as much as possible but it still managed to reach him.

My breath hitched as I took a few steps closer. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked. I was far from being cool with him and I had to disclose my true feelings.

His eyes burned with something dark but I ignored whatever it was.

"You moved out," he stated. "So I thought to pay you a visit in your new place."

"How did you find this place out?"

He stood up from the walkway. "I guess all I had to do was just a little finding. It was easy." He paused and then asked, "Why did you leave?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "I had no reason to stay."

"You didn't tell me."

"Since when did I owe you explanations, Austin?"

The conversation we were having was mostly confusing than infuriating. What exactly was he doing here? What does this man want from me?

"I saw him propose to you," he said, breaking the silence. I knew what he was referring to

"So?"

Then he stepped closer to me. "Do you love him?"

This was the same question he asked me last night. The very question that threw me off. It was getting dangerous at this point.