LANCE'S POV:
The ride back to Manila was unusually quiet.
Aurora had fallen asleep against the car window, her hand loosely resting on my thigh.
I kept one hand on the wheel, the other gently curled around hers.
I wanted to remember this silence, not the kind that felt empty or distant, but the kind that wrapped itself around two people who no longer needed to speak to feel understood.
Tagaytay had been a breath of air we both didn't know we were choking for.
But i'd known before the weekend was even over: I wasn't going to waste any more time.
I was going to marry her.
I pulled up in front of her parents' home just after lunch, stomach in knots. My palms were sweaty. Which was absurd, considering i argued in courtrooms for a living.
But this?
This was different.
Aurora was still asleep, so i didn't wake her. I kissed her on the forehead, whispered that I'd be back, and slipped out of the car.
The gate opened before i could even press the doorbell.
Her mom must've seen us from the window.
"Lance!" she said, brows arching in surprise, a hand quickly going to fix her hair. "Where's—where's Aurora?"
"Still sleeping in the car," I smiled. "May i come in po?"
She stepped aside without hesitation, and in minutes, her dad joined us in the living room, still in a threadbare polo shirt and slippers.
There was something humbling about the way they looked at me—like they were preparing themselves for something they already suspected.
"Sit down, anak," her father said.
I did.
Then i swallowed hard.
"I know this might sound fast," I began, "but i'm not going to waste time pretending i haven't known for a long time that Aurora is it for me. She's, she's everything i didn't know i was waiting for. She's the strongest woman I've ever met. And if she'll let me, I want to be the man beside her for the rest of her life."
Her mom was already tearing up.
"I'm here to ask for your blessing," I said, voice steady despite the nerves strangling my throat. "I want to marry your daughter."
There was a beat of silence before her dad leaned forward.
"You don't need to convince us, Lance," he said gently. "We've seen it. We've seen how you looked at her even when she couldn't look at herself. We know what you did for her. We know you love her."
"I do," I whispered.
Her mother nodded, dabbing at her eyes with the corner of her blouse. "We trust you with our daughter's life. Of course you have our blessing."
I exhaled shakily, standing to bow slightly.
Her dad surprised me by pulling me into a hug, and then her mom followed, wrapping her arms around me the way a mother would to her own son.
"She deserves the world," her mom murmured against my shoulder.
"I'll give her that," I said.
And i meant every word.
-
Next stop: my parents' house.
The sun was already beginning to dip when i pulled into their driveway, and i was mildly surprised to find both of them home.
Dad was in the garden, mom watering her plants. They looked up at the sound of my car door and waved.
"I wasn't expecting you," mom said, smiling. "Weren't you in Tagaytay?"
"Just got back," I said. "Can we talk inside?"
Their expressions shifted immediately—worry, mostly.
We rarely had "talks." But they followed me into the living room and sat down across from me like I was about to present a case.
I guess, in a way, I was.
"I'm going to marry Aurora," I said.
Just like that.
No preamble. No fluff.
My mom blinked. My dad's mouth opened slightly, then closed.
Then mom's voice softened. "You've decided?"
"I've known for a while. I just wanted to wait until… until she was whole again."
"And now?"
"She's healing. She's fighting every day. She's stronger than she's ever been. And i love her. I've never loved anyone like this."
There was a pause.
Then my father stood up, walked over, and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Then do it," he said.
My mom nodded slowly, her expression both proud and a little nostalgic. "She's lucky to have you. But more than that… I think you're lucky to have each other."
I smiled.
"I'm proposing tomorrow."
"Do you have the ring?" my mom asked, one brow raised.
"Not yet," I said.
She looked scandalized. "Then what are you doing still sitting here?"
I left their house with a full heart and an empty passenger seat.
The roads were busy, as Manila always is at that hour, but i felt oddly calm, even as i parked in front of the high-end jeweler i'd secretly bookmarked months ago.
The woman at the counter greeted me with a smile that faltered only slightly when I walked in looking like I hadn't slept in days.
"How can i help you, sir?"
"I need an engagement ring," I said. "Something elegant. Timeless. And very, very special."
"Do you have anything specific in mind?"
I did. Aurora's style was classic with just enough boldness to make it unforgettable.
She didn't like anything too flashy, but she wore things that made people look twice.
We went through a few trays. Princess cuts. Cushion. Pear-shaped. But i knew the one the moment i saw it.
An oval diamond, set on a thin, platinum band, flanked by two small tapered baguettes. It wasn't just beautiful, it was her.
"I'll take this one," I said, without even asking the price.
Tomorrow, I was going to propose.
And for the first time in years, the future didn't terrify me.
It thrilled me.