opened to anyone who'd propose . based off this plot with a twist .
stood there longer than she should’ve, heels rooted into polished marble like the floor had claimed her as part of the spectacle. flashes still echoed behind her eyes. cameras, diamonds, and the way the room had erupted into applause like it was something beautiful. like it didn’t feel like a knife sliding slow between her ribs. her jaw tightened, fingers curling her palms before she forced them still. aylani didn’t break. not in public. not ever. so she smiled and clapped until, finally, her gaze finds theirs with a precision that felt almost surgical. no cameras now. no audience. just the aftermath hanging thick in the air between them. it wasn't until moments later where they had a moment alone. “ you made me stand there and watch you propose to them. ” her voice didn’t rise. it didn’t crack. in fact, a humorless breath slipped past her lips, head tilting just slightly as if she was trying to understand them and failing in real time. “ do you have any idea what that felt like? ” a beat. her eyes flickered — not away, never away — but softer, more dangerous. another beat. “ standing there while you promised forever to someone else like i wasn’t- ” she cut herself off, swallowing it down before it could ruin her. her arms reaching to top off her plate, “ you could’ve told me you were planning on doing this tonight. ” softer. sharper. “ instead you let me watch it like i was nothing. ” a final pause to look at them. “ or was that the point, to see my reaction? ”
