Chapter 2: The Second Black Box
Brielle stared at the second box as though it had appeared out of thin air.
The attendant placed it carefully in Marcus's palm.
“Thank you, Andre,” Marcus said.
“Of course, sir.””
Andre stepped back, remaining close enough to assist but far enough not to intrude.
Brielle's eyes moved from the box to Marcus's face.
“What is that?””
Marcus glanced down at it.
“A box.””
“Marcus.””
He lifted his gaze.
“Brielle.””
She gave a short, disbelieving laugh.
“Are you seriously going to play games with me right now?””
“I'm not playing anything.””
“Then open it.””
Marcus didn't immediately comply.
Around them, the guests had fallen almost completely silent. A woman near the aisle leaned forward in her chair. An elderly man removed his glasses and polished them with a handkerchief, apparently unwilling to miss whatever happened next.
Brielle straightened her shoulders.
“If this is some kind of surprise, you could have started with it.””
Marcus looked at her for a long moment.
“You're right about one thing,” he said.
Her expression brightened slightly.
“I am?””
“You expected a surprise.””
“Well, obviously.””
“But you decided what it was worth before you knew the whole story.””
Brielle's smile faltered.
“Oh, please. Are we really doing this?””
Marcus turned the black velvet box in his hand.
“No,” he replied.
“We're not.””
He opened it.
Inside lay a magnificent diamond engagement ring.
The center stone was enormous, clear and brilliantly cut, surrounded by a delicate arrangement of smaller diamonds. The band reflected the chandeliers in sharp, white flashes. It looked like the kind of ring Brielle had saved on her phone, shown to her friends, and casually mentioned whenever a celebrity announced an engagement.
For one breathless second, the entire ballroom seemed to disappear from her mind.
Her mouth fell open.
“Oh my God.””
Marcus held the box steady.
Brielle leaned closer, her eyes widening as she studied the diamond.
“Is that real?””
Marcus didn't answer.
She looked up at him, then back at the ring.
“Marcus, is that a real diamond?””
“Yes.””
Her hand flew to her chest.
“Oh my God.””
This time, her voice sounded different.
The shock was still there, but excitement had rushed in to replace her earlier contempt. Her lips parted in a smile. She stepped closer, the red fabric of her gown catching the light as she moved.
“You had that the whole time?””
Marcus closed his fingers around the edges of the box without removing the ring.
Brielle reached toward it.
He moved his hand slightly away.
She stopped.
For a moment, she appeared not to understand what had happened.
“Wait,” she said.
“What are you doing?””
“Standing here.””
“Don't be difficult. Let me see it.””
“You've seen it.””
“Marcus, that ring is beautiful.””
He looked at her.
“Is it?””
“Yes!””
Her answer came with startling enthusiasm.
She turned toward the nearest tables, suddenly aware that the same guests who had witnessed her humiliation were watching her reaction to the diamond.
“Can you believe this?”” she exclaimed, laughing nervously.
“He was hiding it!””
Nobody answered.
Brielle looked back at Marcus.
“Okay. You got me. You really got me.””
Marcus's face remained composed.
“Got you?””
“You know what I mean. The first ring was a joke, right? You wanted to see my reaction.””
Marcus said nothing.
Brielle smiled more broadly, desperate to recover the romantic moment she had imagined.
“Well, congratulations. You scared me.””
She reached for his arm.
“Come on, baby. Put it on.””
Marcus gently moved his arm out of reach.
The movement was small.
The effect was immediate.
Brielle's smile froze.
“What?””
Marcus closed the black box.
“I'm not putting it on your finger.””
She stared at him.
For the first time that evening, the diamond wasn't the only thing commanding attention.
“Why not?””
Marcus looked down at the box, then back at her.
“Because you haven't answered my question.””
“What question?””
“The one I asked before you saw this ring.””
Brielle's lips parted, but no words came out.
Marcus continued.
“I asked you to marry me. You laughed at me. You called the ring cheap. You told me I wasn't good enough for you unless I gave you something more expensive.””
“That's not what I said!””
“You said, ‘Not for me.’”
“I was upset!””
“You were laughing.””
Brielle glanced around the room.
“Can we please stop doing this in front of everybody?””
“You were perfectly comfortable doing it in front of everybody five minutes ago.””
Her face reddened.
“Marcus, I didn't know you had this!””
“Exactly.””
She looked toward Andre, apparently hoping the attendant might offer an explanation. He remained still, his hands folded neatly in front of him.
Brielle lowered her voice.
“Listen to me. I was shocked. That's all. I didn't mean to hurt you.””
Marcus tilted his head slightly.
“Would you have said the same thing if there had never been another ring?””
She hesitated.
“Of course.””
“Then why did your answer change when you saw this one?””
“Because this is different!””
“How?””
“Marcus, look at it!””
He glanced at the box.
“I am.””
“It's a beautiful ring. It's what every woman dreams about.””
“Every woman?””
“You know what I mean.””
“No,” he said quietly.
“I don't think I do.””
Brielle reached for his hand again.
This time, she placed her fingers against his wrist.
“Baby, please. I love you. You know I love you.””
Marcus looked down at her hand.
For a brief moment, he remembered how those same fingers had intertwined with his during quiet Sunday mornings, when neither of them had anywhere to be. He remembered the way she'd rested her head against his shoulder while they watched movies in his old apartment.
Those memories had been real.
That was what made the present moment hurt.
He gently removed her hand from his wrist.
“Tell me something, Brielle.””
She nodded quickly.
“Anything.””
“If I had only brought the first ring tonight, would you still want to marry me?””
Brielle stared at him.
Her gaze flickered toward the closed black box.
Then she looked back at his face.
“Marcus, why are you asking me that?””
“Because I want an honest answer.””
She swallowed.
The guests waited.
Brielle forced a smile.
“Can we talk about this privately?””
“That's not an answer.””
“I'm trying to save our relationship!””
Marcus's expression softened, but not in the way she hoped.
“No,” he said.
“You're trying to save the proposal.””
Her eyes glistened.
“That's cruel.””
“Maybe.””
He turned slightly toward Andre.
The attendant nodded, as though he had been expecting the signal.
Brielle immediately caught Marcus's sleeve.
“Where are you going?””
“I'm not going anywhere.””
“Then why is he here?””
Marcus looked at Andre, who stood beside the aisle with the same professional composure.
Then Marcus looked past Brielle, toward someone standing just beyond the cluster of guests.
His eyes softened.
A warmth Brielle hadn't seen all evening crossed his face.
It wasn't the look he'd given her when she reached for the diamond.
It was something quieter.
Something familiar.
Something that made Brielle's fingers slowly slip from his sleeve.
She turned toward the direction of his gaze.
And when she saw who was standing there, her face went completely pale.
May you like
“Marcus,” she whispered.
“Why is your mother here?””
