Page 129 of Unspoken Words
Byron pulled the car into a car park that looked horrifically familiar. “What are we doing here?” I asked, recognising the view of the water catchment.
“I spotted this place when I was searching the area on a map. I thought the view would be nice, especially this time of evening when the sun is about to set.” He smiled, parked the car, opened his door, and got out.
My body went stiff, my palms sweaty, and I sat rooted to my chair. Memories of the last time I was here, when Connor told me Lilah was having his baby and we both said goodbye, rushed to the forefront of my mind.I hate this place.Why did he bring me here?
Byron murmured, “shit” and jogged around to my door, opening it with an impressed grin. He offered his hand, so I took it and stood up, my stomach churning as I smoothed down my dress.
“We’re definitely overdressed,” I explained, my voice dry.
“Nonsense. You can never be overdressed.”
“Ohhh yes you can.”
Taking my hand in his, he led me to the edge of the car park and onto a gravel path that overlooked the sparkling water of Northills Dam. “I was right, it’s beautiful up here,” he said, glancing in my direction.
I nodded but only saw ugliness. Ugly trees. Ugly dirt. Ugly trash. Ugly memories. It was all too raw and unsettling, and I needed to leave. Surely, this was just a pit stop for where he really was taking me.
About to ask if we could leave, Byron stepped in front of me and took both my hands in his, a jittery twitch on his otherwise chiselled, stoic face. “Elle, I’ve brought you here because it’s close to where you grew up: a place I know you love and miss deeply. I wanted you to feel comfortable and at home for when I asked you this very important question.” He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
A cold dread seized me.Oh no.
“I know we haven’t been together all that long, but in the time we have shared, I’ve come to realise that you’re exactly the person I want by my side through everything I’m set to face and endure in life. You’re kind, compassionate, intelligent, and adaptable. You complement what I am and what I strive to be.” He flipped open the lid, his teeth bright and white and almost as blinding as the gigantic diamond ring wedged into the ivory, satin pillow.
My hands shot to cover my mouth, my eyelids wide apart, almost to the point of pain.
Byron reached for my left hand and gently pulled it toward him. I fought his pull, a small tug of war, and he laughed and shook my hand, loosening it up.
My hand complied and fell limp.
“Eloise Mitchell,” he declared, sliding the ring onto my finger, “will you marry me?”
Chapter Thirty-One
Ellie
Istared at the ring thenat Byron, and then at the ring again. A hint of black tattooed ink from the underside of my wrist drew my full attention, so I rotated my arm just a little, and my eyes locked on the heart. Connor’s heart. And I swear it pulsed a beat.
“I … I’m sorry, I can’t.”
Blinking back tears, I quickly removed the ring and gently placed it in his hand. Nothing about his proposal felt right: the timing, the location, what he’d said, the ring … him. It was all horribly wrong, as if I were walking into a trap or falling under a spell I was unaware had been cast. I’d never been proposed to before, but I knew it wasn’t supposed to feel like this. And I knew I couldn’t accept what he was offering and live an even bigger lie than what I’d already been living.
“I don’t understand.” He closed his hand over the ring and looked up at me, all hope and joy now vanished from his face. “What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lied. Clasping his arms, I pulled him to his feet. “You did nothing wrong. I’m just … I’m not ready to get married, Byron. It’s not even on the cards for me.”
“But I thought—”
“You thought wrong.”
Turning around, I headed for the car, my stomach weak, my balance unsettled.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to leave this place. I can’t be here any longer.”
“Why?”
“Because I had a bad experience here when I was younger.”
