Chapter 5: The Proposal and Secrets

The proposal was supposed to be a fresh start.

Jeff had spent weeks planning the perfect evening. A rooftop dinner overlooking the San Jose skyline, candlelight flickering against the city's shimmering backdrop. Evelyn had smiled more in recent months than he had seen in years, and for a brief time, it felt like they had rediscovered the connection they'd lost.

As she gazed out at the city lights, he took a small velvet box from his pocket. His hands trembled slightly, but he steadied them, determined to make the moment memorable.

"Evelyn," he began, his voice low but steady. She turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I know we've been through a lot. We've both made mistakes, but we've also found our way back to each other. And I don't want to waste another second wondering if we'll ever have what we used to. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life proving it."

He opened the box to reveal a simple but elegant diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

Tears welled in Evelyn's eyes, and she nodded, her voice breaking as she said, "Yes. Yes, Jeff, of course."

He slipped the ring onto her finger, and they embraced, the weight of their past momentarily forgotten.

Planning the wedding became their new focus. They spent weekends touring venues, tasting cakes, and arguing playfully over flower arrangements. On the surface, everything seemed perfect. But underneath, Jeff wrestled with a growing sense of unease.

Every time Evelyn mentioned the future buying a house, starting a family Jeff's mind would wander back to the past. He couldn't forget the nights he'd spent alone, the pain of watching her leave for Ryan, the months it had taken to rebuild his life.

At first, he tried to push the feelings aside, telling himself they would fade with time. But they didn't. Instead, they grew, dark and insistent, until they began to take on a life of their own.

One evening, as Evelyn slept beside him, Jeff found himself staring at her engagement ring. His chest tightened with conflicting emotions: love, anger, and something darker he couldn't quite name.

He got out of bed quietly and went to his office. Sitting at his desk, he opened his laptop and began typing furiously. What started as a journal entry quickly spiraled into something else—a meticulous plan, born of his sleepless nights and unresolved resentment.

Jeff told himself it wasn't real, just a way to vent his feelings, to regain some sense of control. But as the days turned into weeks, the plan became more detailed. He began to imagine scenarios, possibilities, ways to ensure Evelyn would understand the depth of the pain she had caused him.

Evelyn, unaware of Jeff's inner turmoil, threw herself into wedding preparations. She seemed happier than ever, her laughter filling their apartment as she flipped through bridal magazines and sketched out seating charts.

But Jeff's demeanor began to change. He grew quieter, more distant. When Evelyn asked if everything was okay, he brushed off her concerns, blaming work stress.

One afternoon, while cleaning the apartment, Evelyn stumbled upon a notebook tucked into the back of Jeff's desk drawer. Curious, she opened it—and what she found made her blood run cold.

The notebook was filled with scrawled notes and sketches, detailing a chilling plan to humiliate her at the wedding. Scenarios ranged from airing private conversations in front of their guests to fabricating lies about her time with Ryan.

Evelyn's hands trembled as she flipped through the pages, disbelief and horror washing over her. The man she had fallen back in love with, the man she had agreed to marry, was harboring a deep, vengeful anger she hadn't seen before.

When Jeff came home that evening, Evelyn confronted him, the notebook clutched tightly in her hands.

"What is this?" she demanded, her voice shaking.

Jeff froze, his face pale. For a moment, he didn't speak, and then his expression hardened. "It's nothing. Just thoughts. Things I wrote down to work through my feelings."

"Work through your feelings?" Evelyn cried. "This—this is more than that, Jeff. This is cruel. How could you even think about doing something like this to me?"

Jeff ran a hand through his hair, his frustration boiling over. "Because I'm still angry, Evelyn! You left me. You broke me, and then you came back expecting everything to go back to the way it was. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

Evelyn's eyes filled with tears. "I know I hurt you, Jeff. And I've spent every day since trying to make up for it. But this… this isn't love. This is revenge."

The confrontation left both of them shaken. Evelyn spent the night at her sister's house, leaving Jeff alone with his thoughts. He stared at the empty apartment, the weight of his actions crashing down on him.

The next morning, Evelyn returned, her face set with determination.

"We need to talk," she said. "About everything. If we're going to do this—if we're going to get married—we need to face what's really going on. No more secrets, no more lies."

Jeff nodded, his heart heavy. He knew she was right. But he also knew that some wounds didn't heal so easily—and some shadows couldn't be escaped.