It didn’t feel like romance. My heart didn’t race. It felt more like a quiet escape, a chance to breathe and not carry everything alone for a few hours.

Then one night, everything changed.

I had been complaining about something small—my daughter suddenly refusing oatmeal and insisting on expensive cereal I couldn’t keep buying.

“I only bought it once,” I sighed. “Now she expects it all the time.”

“You don’t have to live like this,” Richard said.

I laughed softly. “That would be nice.”

“I’m serious,” he continued. “Not just about breakfast.”

Before I could respond, he reached across the table and took my hands.

“I can give you stability,” he said. “A real home. Security for you and your children. A life without constant worry.”

My heart skipped. “Richard… what are you saying?”

He smiled gently. “I’m asking you to marry me.”

Then he pulled out a ring box.

Inside was a diamond and sapphire ring that looked impossibly expensive.

“Let me take care of you,” he said.