Chapter 19

Keith remembered how meticulously he'd planned for the perfect proposal during his second year with Julia. He asked his close friends for their opinions and handled every detail himself—from the location to the decorations. A proposal needed to be a surprise, which meant he couldn't tell her about it beforehand. But he also couldn't use just any excuse to get her there. After all, no one wanted to show up unprepared at such a memorable moment. Keith had scouted dozens of venues before finally locking down every detail. He'd taken her to that candlelit dinner before proposing. Julia had been curious about the occasion, pressing him with questions about why everything felt so formal. It wasn't until the first rose was placed in her hands that she began to suspect what might be coming. Even now, he could still picture how she'd looked at him that night—like he was her whole world. The memory stirred a bittersweet kind of happiness in him. How had they gone from that perfect night to