you?" Her mind went completely blank, every coherent thought fleeing as she stared at the delicate silver chain dangling between Caramel's perfectly manicured fingers. The tiny heart charm caught th

y-had chosen today because he knew Caramel would be in a good mood after receiving her promotion at the hospital, had even arranged for a photographer to be hidden nearby to capture the moment she said yes. Reaching into the back pocket of his perfectly tailored trousers, he pulled out a small velvet ring box-deep burgundy, embossed with the Witherson family crest in gold. He'd had it custom-made months ago, had carried it with him everywhere, waiting for exactly the right moment to ask the question he'd been putting off for far too long. Caramel's eyes widened instantly, her phone slipping from her fingers and clattering to the floor as she stared at the box in his hand. Before she could react, before she could say a word, Teddy stepped forward and dropped down onto one knee on the polished marble floor, the movement graceful despite the suddenness of it. The reception area fell completely silent. Even the distant sounds of the office-typing, phones ringing, footsteps-seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in a bubble of quiet expectation. Caramel's face shot up in shock, her hand flying to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. For a moment, she looked genuinely surprised, genuinely touched, and Teddy felt a flicker of hope that maybe-just maybe-this would work out the way he'd planned. Smiling gently, Teddy opened the ring box. Inside, a stunning emerald-cut diamond sat nestled in platinum, flanked by two smaller sapphires that matched the color of Caramel's eyes perfectly. He'd spent months designing it with the best jeweler in the city, had made sure every detail was perfect. "Caramel," he said softly, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet space, "we've been together for six months now, and in that time, you've become an important part of my life. You're brilliant, beautiful, and you understand the demands of building a legacy. Let's get married-let's build our future together." For a moment, Caramel simply stared at him, her eyes moving from his face to the ring and back again. The silence stretched on, long enough that Teddy began to feel a knot of unease forming in his stomach. Then slowly, she reached down and took the ring from the box, her fingers brushing against his as she lifted it carefully into the light. The diamond caught the sun streaming through the window, sending prisms of light dancing across the walls. But instead of putting it on her finger... She placed it back into Teddy's palm, her touch gentle but firm. Then she closed his fingers around it, covering his hand with both of hers as she looked down at him with an expression that was part sadness, part apology. "Teddy," she said gently, her voice soft but steady, "I can't agree to that yet. You know how much my career means to me-how hard I've worked to get where I am." She sighed, running her thumb over his knuckles in a gesture that might have been comforting if it didn't feel so distant. "I'm entering a very serious stage of my career-they're considering me for Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and if I get it, I'll be leading a team of forty surgeons, overseeing millions in research funding. I need to complete this milestone before I even think about getting married. I can't divide my attention between my work and a marriage-not when so many lives depend on me." Before Teddy could respond, before he could tell her that he understood, that he'd wait as long as she needed, her phone rang-sharp, urgent, cutting through the quiet like a siren. Caramel glanced at the screen, her expression shifting instantly from gentle regret to professional focus. "Yes... okay. I'm on my way." Her voice turned crisp and efficient immediately, all traces of emotion vanishing as she stood up straight, already reaching for her handbag. "Just prepare the surgery table and make sure Dr. Patel reviews the patient's file one more time. Leave everything on my desk-I'll arrive shortly and go over the pre-op checklist myself." She ended the call and turned back to Teddy, who was still kneeling on the floor, the ring heavy in his closed palm. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to his feet with surprising strength. "Teddyyy..." she said playfully, though her voice lacked its usual warmth as she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "We'll talk more later, I promise. I have a surgery in an hour-it's a high-risk procedure on a twelve-year-old boy, and I need to be focused." She grabbed her coat from the chair, gave him one last quick smile, and walked toward the elevator without looking back. The doors slid closed behind her with a soft hiss, and just like that- she was gone. Teddy stood there silently, his hand still closed around the ring box. The reception area slowly came back to life around him-phones ringing, voices talking, the normal hum of the office returning-but he barely noticed. For several long seconds he stared down at his hand, at the small bulge of the ring box in his palm. The ring he had planned to use today. The ring he had been carrying around for months, waiting for the right moment that had just slipped through his fingers like water. His jaw tightened, a familiar surge of frustration rising in his chest-the same frustration he'd felt countless times before when work had come between him and Caramel, when she'd canceled dat