Chapter_155
Tyler looked down at her hand on his wrist, his expression unreadable. After a brief pause, he replied, “It’s not about the price, Olivia. It’s about the gesture. This is what’s expected.”
Olivia hesitated, still feeling the weight of the decision pressing down on her. She glanced at the rings again, the pink diamond shimmering under the store’s lights. It was stunning, but it felt too much. Too grand, too overwhelming for the reality of their situation.
“Tyler,” she started, her voice quieter now, “I don’t want to overshadow everything. The ring, it… it feels like too much.”
Tyler finally met her gaze, his eyes softer than before. “I understand how you feel, but sometimes the world expects certain things. And when it comes to this… it’s not just about us. It’s about our families, our names, our future together.”
Olivia felt a pang in her chest. There it was again—the weight of expectations. She wanted to resist, to argue that their marriage should be about them, not about appeasing anyone or fulfilling some image. But standing here, in the midst of it all, she couldn’t deny that Tyler was right. There were bigger forces at play than just her feelings.
The jeweler, sensing the tension, nodded politely and gestured toward the counter. “We’ll get everything prepared, Mr. Tyler, Mrs. Olivia.”
Olivia didn’t respond right away. She just nodded numbly, still trying to come to terms with everything. Tyler squeezed her hand gently as if offering some form of reassurance.
“Olivia, I know this feels strange, but I want to do this for you,” he said softly, as if trying to break through her uncertainty.
She looked up at him, and for the first time today, she saw something that wasn’t just duty or obligation in his eyes. It was something more—a quiet, almost hesitant care.
Olivia nodded slowly, trying to accept the situation as it was, not how she had imagined it. “Okay,” she murmured. “We’ll take them.”
The jeweler quickly set to work, preparing the rings. Olivia stood there, her hand still gripping Tyler’s, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were stepping into something much bigger than just a simple exchange of rings. There was a world of expectations, and despite her protests, she was being pulled deeper into it.
Once everything was finalized, Tyler handed over the payment with ease, and they left the store. The car ride back to Harris Residence was quiet, the weight of the rings in Olivia’s bag a constant reminder of the life she was now bound to.
As they neared the house, Olivia couldn’t help but glance at Tyler. “Do you ever wish things were different?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tyler looked over at her, his eyes thoughtful. “Every day,” he replied quietly.
But in the end, they both knew that no matter how they wished for different circumstances, they were tied to this reality. Together, yet not really.