The Lies Behind Her Marriage novel Chapter 260

Serena’s Answer.

“Serena… I know I made the wrong choices in the past. I won’t pretend otherwise,” Nathaniel said while holding up the new diamond ring.

“But having been given a second chance with you and our children, I know exactly what matters now,” he continued.

“You are my future. Our family is my future.”

“I want to wake up beside you every day, raise our children together, and build the life we should have had from the beginning.”

“So…” he gulped. “Will you marry me... again?”

Serena was speechless.

Before she could answer, she heard the strumming of a guitar. A male’s soulful voice once again echoed throughout the park.

~ “For just the chance to win your heart

You could set the bar beyond the stars

I'll do anything, anything you ask me to” ~

It was a song by Bruno Mars called Risk It All. Serena knew this because she had heard the same song playing in Nathaniel's car on the way to the theme park.

She thought the song was romantic and promising.

As the music rose, everything else faded, leaving only the lyrics echoing in her heart.

Serena’s gaze fixed on Nathaniel.

Her skin prickled with happiness just from watching the intensity of his blue-gray eyes.

As the second chorus swelled, her entire family and friends looked on in approval, and the kids tugged at her hands. Serena exhaled softly, her heart settling into a quiet yes.

~ “Say you want the moon

Watch me learn to fly

Ain't no mountain you could point to

I wouldn't climb

It's crazy, but it's true

There's nothing I won't do

I'd risk it all for you” ~

Finally, when the music died down and everyone was waiting for her answer, Serena braced herself.

“Say yes, Serena,” Bianca said in a hushed tone, her hands together, as if praying.

“Have mercy on my brother-in-law, Serena,” Silas said, and everyone else laughed.

Celine was smiling, and Sterling nodded.

Only Xavier gave a calm smile. “I support you with whatever makes you happy, Serena.”

Serena felt her eyes sting with tears. Life was too short to keep holding back from something she already knew she wanted.

She wiped the corners of her eyes and said, “Yes.... Yes, I’ll marry you again—”

“Yes!” Sebastian exclaimed. “Does that mean I’m gonna have my baby brother now?”

Alisa’s eyes widened. “And a baby sister?”

While everyone else laughed, Nathaniel got up from his kneeling position. He quickly put the ring on Serena’s finger, gave her the flowers, and embraced her tightly.

He gently swayed her for a while before kissing her cheeks and then her lips.

“Careful now, you two might end up kissing,” Serena teased.

“What?” Alice reacted.

Xavier just laughed.

“I’d really like it if you two end up together,” Nathaniel remarked.

“Yes, that would be a dream come true for you, Nathan,” Xavier commented.

Although Xavier’s words carried a deeper meaning, it no longer worried Serena. Over the past few weeks, she had seen how her best male friend had let go.

Serena saw it in the way Xavier no longer looked away when she was with Nathaniel. She noticed how easily he spoke to him now, how their conversations no longer carried tension, and, a few times, even laughter.

The distance Xavier once kept had quietly disappeared, and with it, something else seemed to be shifting.

It was a sign, she thought, that he was finally moving on. If that meant moving forward with Alice, then maybe it was for the best.

But could two best friends really become lovers? Where would that line blur, and what would it cost to cross it?

Serena didn’t have the answers.

She only knew one thing…

Some lines, once crossed, could never be undone. And when they were, they rarely happened slowly.

It was about ten in the evening when everyone decided it was time to call it a night. But before that, Celine walked up to Serena and Nathaniel, hugging them both.

“I’m so happy you both have decided to try again,” Celine said with a smile. She turned to Nathaniel and added, “I’ve always supported you, ever since I learned you regretted hurting Serena. To me, you will always be that young boy with a big and brave heart.”

She left with Sterling just like that, leaving Nathaniel with a question mark on his face.

“Love, what did Mom mean?” Nathaniel asked.