Divorced Heiress
Chapter 126

The woman in front of my eyes was not even a shadow of the shattered Abby, who cried inconsolably on my shoulder and insulted Vincent and cursed him without having anything left inside her yesterday. No. Today her eyes had a special sparkle, while her ear-to- ear smile was capable of infecting anyone. Silently, with a slight smile on my face, I admired her for a few seconds as she excitedly talked about her pregnancy, how fortunate she was not to have any symptoms that even made her suspect, and how nervous and anxious she felt about seeing the life growing in her womb for the first time, although I explained to her more than once that at this stage of pregnancy she wouldn't see the image that surely passed through her mind.

Seeing her in that way, so radiant, with her face illuminated as if the previous day she hadn't confronted Vincent in the worst way, who ended up disappointing all of us with his attitude, freeing himself from all responsibility and escaping from assuming his paternity as a man, as if Abby had done that baby on her own, confirmed to me that my best friend was not the weak woman she claimed to be at first, on the contrary, she was so strong and capable that she didn't need the approval of the father of her child to continue with her life and her plans to bring that child into the world.

I was so proud of that brilliant and resourceful woman.

I knew that inside she was a mess, as nothing had gone as planned from the beginning, but she was here, determined, following what her heart said.

The doctor indicated that everything was in perfect condition, the pregnancy was going well, however, she gave her instructions she should follow during the first trimester of gestation. On the other hand, my blood tests indicated that my health was fine, and that my fatigue and menstrual delay were due to stress, the excess of work was affecting me, and she recommended that I take a few days off, rest without knowing anything about the companies, so, as if everything had turned in Abby's favor, she insisted that I should take advantage of that moment and not postpone the cruise.

There was no need to insist too much, I agreed almost immediately and did it mostly for my health.

And here I was, ready to start that two-day private cruise to Bora Bora, not forgetting the surprise I had prepared for Alexander.

The fresh wind touched my face as I admired the turquoise waters surrounding the island, Alexander hugged me from behind, inhaling the scent of my hair. I couldn't deny that inside I was a bundle of nerves because of what I had prepared for him, I wanted everything to go as planned since the moment I made up my mind.

"The island is wonderful, but nothing compares to you, my fairy." Alexander whispered near my ear and I couldn't help the shiver that ran through me. A smile adorned my face and I let out a sigh before turning to him and putting my arms around his neck. I looked closely and in complete silence at his honey-colored eyes, which saw me as if I were truly the most amazing thing he had ever seen. I had never felt so much peace and tranquility as in this moment, when it was just him and me, without worries, without work, without anyone trying to separate us, without anyone tormenting us.

I loved being like that with him, his warm body next to mine, his hands delicately on my waist as if I were made of glass and he was afraid of breaking me, our gazes connected, saying more than a thousand words, and the fresh wind hitting our bodies. I didn't want that moment to end, I felt like I was floating on a cloud and I was sure I wouldn't fall.

I couldn't resist anymore and I pressed my lips against his, feeling his warm breath in my mouth, which soon opened so that our tongues could meet, making my body slightly unsteady because of the sweet taste of his mouth with traces of the fine champagne we had drunk minutes before.

"It's time to get ready, I have a surprise for you." I said when I separated from his lips, only a little against my will, but I was anxious to see his reaction, I couldn't wait a minute longer, it was now or never.

Alexander let out a heavy sigh before wrapping his arms around me and placing a kiss on my head, while resting my face on his chest, and it was inevitable to inhale his masculine scent that I liked so much.

"I wouldn't want to be apart from you for a second, but I agree with you, I also have a surprise for you." He said over my head and I smiled without him being able to see me, whatever he had prepared for me, it did not compare to what I had prepared for him. "So, I'll wait for you in an hour in the hall. I took the trouble to pick out a suit for you." I said before leaving him with a fleeting kiss on the lips and disappearing from his sight after winking at him, even though I didn't want to be apart from him for even a second, I had to do it for an hour.

Before getting ready for the already prepared dinner, I approached the waiter to make sure he did everything as agreed, and after showing me his perfect work, I went to get ready with nervousness, this was something new for me and I wanted everything to go perfectly.

The white spaghetti strap dress left half of my back exposed, as well as my legs, as the loose skirt covered me up to mid-thigh. I didn't want to wear a pinch of makeup, I wanted to look as natural as possible for this special day. I left my hair to one side, showing off the shiny pink diamond heart necklace, and finally sprayed a bit of my perfume.

My leg couldn't stop moving due to the nerves bubbling in my system, knowing that I was only minutes away from meeting Alexander again made my hair stand on end, I felt an excitement in my chest that I hadn't felt in a long time, I felt like a teenager in love for the first time, and even though I was no longer a teenager, I was undeniably in love with the same man as the first time, there was no one else in my heart, only him, from the beginning it was Alexander Lancaster.

Minutes before the hour was up, I returned to the hall to make sure everything was ready. The waiter confirmed that everything was prepared as I had requested, however, he didn't miss the opportunity to give me some instructions that I should take into consideration.

"Here you are."

I heard Alexander's voice from behind and immediately felt his hands grasping my waist to press his chest against my back.

"How do you do it? How do you manage to look more beautiful every passing second."

A foolish smile appeared on my face as I heard his sweet words in my ear, and the waiter left after giving me a complicit look. Alexander caressed my neck with the tip of his nose and I closed my eyes to better enjoy his gentle touch. "You smell divine."

"You arrived on time." I said as I saw the waiters approaching the table decorated with a fine white silk tablecloth, they came with a couple of glasses, a bottle of champagne, and dessert, yes, I had asked them to serve dessert before dinner, it was part of the plan. "I hope you don't mind starting with dessert." I said taking him by the hand and guiding him to the seat that the waiter had indicated was Alexander's.

"Chocolate and raspberry moelleux, I can't believe it, the last time I had one was at our wedding."

Alexander remembered that he had already tasted that dessert years ago. Of course! I had taken care of the preparations for our wedding and I couldn't have chosen a better French dessert.

"Alright, alright, I like that for the first time you're breaking the rules, you're a very bad girl."

Alexander joked as he reached his chair, but he didn't sit down, he just stared at me intently for a few seconds with eyes that were brighter than ever, that made my heart race, but I quickly refocused on our dinner.

"Today, we'll both be bad kids, so we won't have dinner until you agree to dance a piece with me."

I looked at him with a furrowed brow, containing the slight frustration that Alexander wasn't following the order of my plan, but I wasn't going to snub him either, it would just be one song and then I would resume my plans.

"But there's no music..." And as if they had heard me, the melody of the piano resonated throughout the hall, causing me to swallow my words and Alexander to smile triumphantly. Alexander took my hand delicately and led me to the center of the hall without erasing the smile that was already starting to infect me.

His hand rested on my waist and I put mine on his shoulder, we both moved slowly to the rhythm of the pleasant melody, with only the waiters witnessing such an incredibly romantic moment.

I couldn't take my eyes off Alexander's gaze, and he didn't seem to want to stop looking into mine either, he examined every part of my face as if he wanted to engrave it in his memory, that gaze managed to dispel the nerves that were starting to eat away at me from the inside, suddenly I felt peace, as if everything around us disappeared and it was just him and me, looking at our souls through our eyes.

When the piano melody ended, Alexander let go of my waist, but he didn't move away from me. I was lost in his honey-colored gaze, which seemed even brighter with that unquenchable sparkle.

"Being with you in this moment feels so unreal." He said after releasing a sigh. I took a few seconds to ponder his words, and I realized that I felt the same way. Since the moment I signed the divorce papers, I never imagined I would be with Alexander again, feeling all those things I thought had died but were now more alive than ever.

I opened my mouth to respond, but he didn't let me say a word.

"Sarah, I will never tire of asking for your forgiveness, even if you say you have already forgiven me. I'm sorry for being a coward, for being blind and not realizing the humiliations my family and friends inflicted on you. I'm sorry for neglecting you for so many months because I didn't know how to handle a situation where your life was at stake. I'm sorry for leaving you alone when you needed me the most, and sorry for not being present in Tristan's life until now."

It was not in my plans for Alexander to bring up all the things that had hurt me in the past. But as he mentioned them, I realized that they no longer affected me. I had left all of that behind and truly forgiven Alexander. I felt at peace with myself, and now, all that mattered was the present, and this was the best version of Alexander Lancaster.

"Alexander..."

"I'm not finished, darling. I will let you say everything you want." Alexander interrupted me before I could respond. I nodded my head, allowing him to express all his feelings.

"Despite everything, I never stopped loving you. Sarah, you and our son make me a better person, and there is nothing I want more at this very moment than to be the best father and the best husband to you."

I couldn't help but be moved by his words. Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat, not because of Alexander's sincere expression, but because he was suddenly on one knee, holding a small blue box made of peach-colored leather. He opened it, revealing a ring with an emerald stone and diamond accents.

The beating of my heart accelerated, and I felt like it would burst out of my chest. I had been so focused on planning the surprise for Alexander that I never imagined something like this could happen.

"Sarah Doinel, will you marry me for the second time?"

I was in shock, stunned by the possibilities that this could happen. How was it possible that he had planned to propose to me on the same day and at the same time I planned to do the same?

For a few seconds, the silence was deafening. I blinked a couple of times, realizing that I needed to give him an answer, or he might misunderstand. I would come up with something later to salvage my own proposal.

"Yes! Yes, I want to marry you for the second time!" I exclaimed, a high-pitched squeal escaping me due to the excitement pulsating through my chest and the nerves making my legs tremble like jelly. Alexander widened his smile and, with trembling fingers, slid the ring onto my ring finger.

"This time, we will do everything better. We will be a solid family. I love you, Sarah Doinel."

After standing up from the ground, Alexander spoke and embraced me around the waist, sealing our second engagement with a kiss that made me smile with happiness, feeling like my chest was about to explode. Soon, applause filled the room, and I pulled away from Alexander, remembering that the waiters had witnessed the entire spectacle.

"So, future Mrs. Lancaster, shall we have that dessert?" He asked, and I nodded, unable to wipe the smile off my face. He led me to the table, helping me pull out the chair, then quickly taking a seat across from me. The waiter poured champagne into our glasses, and we toasted to our engagement.

Alexander couldn't wait to take the first bite of the chocolate moelleux, letting the raspberry liquid flow from the center. His eyes closed as he tasted the piece of chocolate muffin in his mouth, and almost immediately, I heard a clearing of throat from the waiter beside me.

Suddenly, as if it were a blow, I remembered that the ring I had bought for Alexander was in the liquid heart of the molten chocolate cake. The marriage proposal had left me speechless and now I had no idea what to do, I didn't know if I should prevent him from eating or just let him find the ring.

I didn't even have time to decide because the next second, Alexander started to cough and his face turned red. I opened my eyes in terror knowing what that meant. Alexander was choking on the ring.

I stood up from my chair not knowing what to do to make him stop coughing, I didn't even know if he swallowed the ring or if it was blocking his throat. The only thing that came to mind was to give him gentle pats on the back while he continued to cough as if his life depended on it.

"Oh my God, the ring! Call an ambulance, but we're on a cruise! Help me!" I looked terrified at the waiter who had been my accomplice in all this, and he quickly approached Alexander to lift him from his seat and, from behind, placed his hands on his abdomen. I just watched in fear as that man gave my poor fiancé five abdominal thrusts, as he struggled to take a breath.

"This is my fault, he's going to die because of me."

I walked back and forth not knowing how to help Alexander and blaming myself for doing all of that in that way, in my mind it didn't seem so dangerous.

When the urge to cry was taking over me, I saw Alexander spit out the ring, and as if on purpose, it hit my forehead hard before falling to the ground.

Alexander started coughing, but at least he could breathe. I didn't even care that the impact of the ring on my forehead had left me sore, I just ran to him and gave him some water to catch his breath.

"Alexander, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't think that..."

"Darling, you're bleeding." And as if moments ago he wasn't about to die from suffocation, he took a napkin to clean my forehead that I didn't even know was bleeding. This turned out to be a total disaster. However, Alexander looked at me with a smile after cleaning my forehead.

"Your proposal has been very original. I accept."