-Zayn-
The silence that enveloped me in the moments just after Lizzie said yes was almost surreal. It was as if time had paused, and I was floating in an endless bubble of elation. The world outside my apartment in Chicago faded away, the cacophony of city life dimmed to a muted hum, while all that existed were the sparkling emeralds in Lizzie's eyes. It felt like flipping a switch, turning the light back on after years of darkness.
Congratulations flooded in—texts pinged incessantly on my phone, each sound pulling me back to reality, reminding me of who I was and the life I had spent years building. But in that moment, as I took Lizzie's hand in mine, those external voices became background noise. The only voice that mattered was hers, filled with love and promise.
After a few hours
